That does seem utterly incredible, I find it hard to believe anyone would put a covid free patient on a covid ward with the aim of giving them the disease, but I guess human selfishness has no bounds.
In this country PHE have messed up the figures but comparing data on those testing positive for the virus at any time with those that have died. If there is a positive test in the history of a deceased person, no matter how far back, the death is deemed to be at least partially due to Covid. This does mean that, as far as PHE is concerned, you can never recover from it, and if struck by lightening, it will still be a covid death!
Mercifully in this country we are not paying extra for recording covid deaths, which presumably has something to do with insurance in the States.