COVID denier confronts staff, tries to take infected patient home. Video / Tobe Hayden Leigh
Terrifying footage has captured the moment a maskless conspiracy theorist tried to take a dying elderly Covid patient home from a UK hospital ward against doctors' orders, before he was dragged out by security guards.
Footage shows medics desperately trying to calm the situation down, insisting the patient will die if he is taken home.
The man who stormed into the room and started filming became agitated and told doctors there is no proof of Covid-19 and claims doctors have been lying.
The doctor responds: "My main concern is his safety and at the moment you are making him unsafe.
"He's taken his oxygen off, he's going to die if we don't put it back on."
Footage has emerged of a UK hospital worker being confronted by friends of a COVID-19 patient who want to take him home. Photo / YouTube
At one point, the doctor points to the patient's oxygen levels on a monitor and says, "73 per cent. He's at risk of dropping dead at any minute".
During the altercation, one doctor is seen trying to put the patient's mask back on.
He tells the group: "He has coronavirus pneumonia affecting both of his lungs. He's on steroids called dexamethasone. He's on antibiotics to treat concurrent bacterial infections."
Despite this, the man with the camera insists the treatment doesn't work and claims the patient should be on vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc.
The doctor responds saying: "None of those are proven treatments for coronavirus."
Security had to be called to the hospital as the situation continued to escalate, removing a number of people for trespassing.
The footage was shared online after the initial confrontation unfolded on Saturday, January 23.
Footage has emerged of a UK hospital worker being confronted by friends of a COVID-19 patient who want to take him home. Photo / YouTube
Covid-19 has now killed 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.
A Surrey Police spokesperson confirmed officers had been called to the hospital after concerns people had gained access to a critical care ward and were not wearing masks.
They were also reported to be abusive to hospital staff and refused to leave, with an investigation now under way.
East Surrey Chief Inspector Kimball Edey said: "The escalation of this incident, with the abusive comments being directed at the hospital on social media, is extremely concerning, and further inquiries into this matter are ongoing.
"These comments are obviously causing considerable distress for the staff at the hospital and we are doing everything we can to ensure that those responsible are identified and located.
"When we attended the hospital last week, it transpired that a number of people visiting a patient were not wearing face masks, and fines were issued to two of them.
Covid-19 denier Tobe Hayden Leigh asked if the virus was 'proven to exist' despite being on a ward full of sick patients.
"We have continued to maintain our 4Es approach towards any breaches of current Covid regulations – explaining, encouraging and educating and only enforcing when we are faced with a flagrant breach of the rules as a last resort – since the start of the first lockdown.
"Unfortunately, there is a small minority of people who do not understand or refuse to appreciate the seriousness of the impact of the pandemic. To gain access to a critical care ward without taking the proper precautions not only puts themselves at risk, but also the lives of other people and the hospital staff who are trying to care for seriously ill patients, at risk as well.
"To then become abusive and threatening towards the staff who are trying to treat these vulnerable patients under extremely challenging conditions defies belief and is simply reprehensible.
"Thankfully, the vast majority of Surrey residents are complying with the lockdown regulations, and we thank them for that, but we will not hesitate to take action when we are faced with such an extreme and blatant disregard for these rules."
Michael Wilson, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "Any suggestion that Covid-19 doesn't exist or isn't serious is not only extremely disrespectful to the NHS staff caring for patients affected by the virus, but it also puts the lives of others at risk."
