Natalya Shcherbakova, a 45-year-old Russian forensic officer, being treated for coronavirus suddenly baffled many, including her family, as she suddenly fell 50 feet from her hospital room window to her death on May 31, 2020.
DailyMail reports that the family blames the antibiotic levofloxacin, which was used in her treatment routine for COVID-19. Furthermore, they claim that the drug's mind-altering side effects could have caused her to be suicidal. Shcherbakova's death follows three health professionals who also died from falling from hospital windows while seeking treatment for coronavirus.
A family source shares that Shcherbakova had previously discussed the falls with relatives, and was horrified by the accidents. Her family finds it hard to believe how she could have committed suicide. Upon admission to the hospital, members of her family report that she had a 'positive' mood since the beginning.
Her case was not even considered life-threatening with normal blood oxygen saturation levels and minimal lung infection. A source from the hospital said that she felt better after she was given antibiotics and oxygen through a nasal cannula.
Mental Status Sloping Downward
However, three days later, the forensic expert tells family members through the phone that she felt anxious so much that 'she could die' and that her mood was going 'downhill'. Despite the family reporting their concerns to her doctors, the family was assured that she was fine and not in danger.
Members of her family describe her as 'happily married', close to her twin daughter, and a renowned forensic specialist sought by many experts across Russia. Additionally, she passed rigorous psychological tests annually as part of her job, and her family says she had never been suicidal.
At 7:44 P.M. on March 31, she told her family she was being put on a drip, a procedure which should have taken two hours. She was concisely online at 8:37 P.M. At 11 P.M., the hospital called her family, informing them that she jumped from the fifth floor. Shcherbakova died moments later despite attempts to save her.
More About Levofloxacin
The family has been informed that she was being treated with the antibiotic levofloxacin. The medication is often used to treat infections of bones, joints, ears, and airways, particularly pneumonia. The drug has common side-effects such as diarrhea, dizziness, rashes, and heartburn.
In rare cases, it can also hinder the nervous system and cause severe psychological side effects such as anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts. Patients are thought-out to be more at risk of these symptoms if a history of mental health problems is present.
According to Shcherbakova's relatives, medics found evidence of an unknown antidepressant in Mrs Shcherbakova's remains, indicating that she may have endured some mental health issues.
Her family fears that a drug she was given during her hospitalization was to blame for her sudden change of mood that led to her fall. Sources say she got out of bed, walked to the hospital window, then collapsed through a mosquito net as she fell.
The family plans to sue the hospital. Moreover, they also intend to protest to the Russian Interior Ministry that Shcherbakova and her comrades were not isolated when COVID-19 first appeared in her office.
