Nurse spat on at hospital by woman who said she had coronavirus, Illinois cops say

An Illinois woman who claimed she had coronavirus was arrested this week after spitting in the face of a nurse, according to police.

The incident happened around midnight Monday at Mercy Hospital in Aurora, which is a suburb of Chicago, according to the Aurora Police Department.

Cynthia Meyers, 33, checked herself into the hospital for complaints of breathing trouble, the police department said. She was receiving medical treatment and said she had tested positive for COVID-19, but later decided she wanted to be discharged, according to police.

Meyers, of Oswego, was told she needed to sign discharge paperwork, and when she refused, she “lunged towards the nurse, and spit in her face,” the police department wrote on Facebook.

After she spat on the nurse, Meyers left the hospital and officers were called, police said.

She was later given a felony aggravated battery to a nurse charge, according to police. Meyers was released from jail and is due back in court next month, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

It’s not clear if Meyers actually had tested positive for the coronavirus, which has infected more than 87,000 people in Illinois, according to state records.

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 3:54 PM.