At a government hospital in the Meerut district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, a cluster of monkeys stole the blood samples of potential COVID-19 patients.
CNN reported that according to Dr. Dheeraj Baliyan, a medical superintendent of Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College and Hospital, the episode transpired when a lab assistant at the coronavirus establishment of the hospital was bearing blood samples to be tested.
The monkeys escaped with blood samples from 3 infected patients. It was captured on video by the mugged lab technician.
The scenario induced fears that it might further the prevalence of the coronavirus in regions in close proximity, according to Reuters.
Authorities remarked that the monkeys also charged on a health worker before they took off.
A top official at the campus, Dr. S. K. Garg, said, "Monkeys grabbed and fled with the blood samples of four COVID-19 patients who are undergoing treatment ... we had to take their blood samples again."
It was not made clear if the animals had the blood samples poured over. Individuals residing close to the college worried about them carrying the blood samples into residential places.
The footage of the stealing trended online.
Later, it was explicated that the samples were actually not of the coronavirus.
The head of the hospital, Garg, clarified that the aforementioned samples were indeed blood samples, but not the swabs often in line to test for the coronavirus. Garg stated that the blood samples were from people who were diagnosed with COVID-19, but were sampled in accordance with patients' routine blood tests.
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Baliyan added that the animals ascended the trees with the samples in tow and tossed them upon munching on the packets. The medical superintendent attested that no person was in contact with the blood samples. Hospital officials have sterilized the particular place and discarded the robbed samples.
The medical superintendent attested that no person was in contact with the blood samples. The hospital officials have sterilized the particular place and discarded the robbed samples.
The district government has demanded an investigation of the hospital's authorities for alleged mismanaging of the blood samples.
The footage also displayed that upon robbing the samples along with hospital items, the monkeys chewed on what appeared like surgical gloves.
Authorities released their first official statement regarding the thievery on May 29.
According to Garg, Garg disclosed that it was not yet made clear if monkeys could be transmitted the respiratory illness if they came into contact with the blood infected with the virus.
Late last year, COVID-19 is claimed to have been transferred from animals to people in a wildlife market in the city Wuhan in China.
The district government has demanded an investigation on the hospital's authorities for the samples' alleged mismanaging.
There are reportedly 7,170 confirmed coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh.
There have been cases that surfaced wherein other animals can contract from humans the SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus which is the root of the COVID-19 illness. In New York City, 3 lions and 5 tigers at the Bronx Zoo was diagnosed with the coronavirus in April.
