A Covid-19 patient in California allegedly beat his elderly roommate to death with an oxygen tank, amid a rise of hospitalisations in the state.
The incident took place at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of 17 December, according to KABC.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told the station that a man hospitalised for Covid-19 brutally assaulted his 82-year-old roommate using an oxygen tank.
The authorities confirmed that the victim of the attack died the next day from the injuries sustained in the incident.
The two men did not know each other before they were hospitalised, and the authorities said that they are attempting to determine motive for the attack.
The suspect has been arrested and charged with murder, with an enhancement based on the victim's age. Neither of the men have been named by the sheriff’s office yet.
The incident came amid a rise in coronavirus patients hospitalised in California, as 600 more people were admitted due to the virus in the state on Monday, according to Newsweek.
The total number of coronavirus patients hospitalised in California was close to 8,000 on Tuesday, as the state moved towards recording a total of 2 million confirmed Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Although Covid-19 vaccines are already being distributed in the state, Mr Newsom told California residents on Sunday to continue with social distancing measures to limit the spread of the virus and the amount of residents hospitalised.
“Until vaccines are available more widely across the state, it's critical that all Californians do their part to stop the surge by staying at home and wearing a mask when leaving home for essential work and needs,” Mr Newsom said on Sunday.
Since the start of the pandemic, California has recorded at least 1.97 million cases of coronavirus and more than 23,254 deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 18.2 million people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached 322,849.
