The patient threw his mask at one of the doctor, the police said. (Representational)

A case was filed against a COVID-19 positive patient after he allegedly spat on a doctor treating him at the government hospital in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli, police said.

It was a serious crime under the present conditions with so many restrictions in force to prevent the spread of coronavirus, they said.

The patient, admitted to the hospital's coronavirus ward on Saturday, also removed his mask and threw it at the doctor, enraging the hospital staff and other patients, police said.

Eversince his admission in the ward, he has not been cooperating with the medical staff, they added.

Meanwhile, reports from Nagapattinam district stated that a 65-year-old doctor, running a private clinic at Kadambadi in the district has tested positive for the virus after his return from the US three weeks back.

The district administration has appealed to the people who received treatment from the doctor to voluntarily come forward and subject themselves to medical examination.

People could contact the officials on 9751425002 and 9500493022 to pass on information in this connection.

Tamil Nadu has reported the third-highest number of positive coronavirus cases in the country after Maharashtra and Delhi, with a total of 969 confirmed cases, and 11 deaths so far.