by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:22 AM ET, Wed December 23, 2020
Health officials confirmed that a man who died during a United Airlines flight last week had coronavirus.
According to ABCNews.com, United Airlines Flight 591 departed from Orlando on December 14 en route to Los Angeles when a medical emergency on board caused the pilot to divert the plane to New Orleans.
One of the passengers on the plane, Cameron Roberts, said 69-year-old Isaias Hernandez collapsed shortly after takeoff. Flight attendants and other passengers gave the man chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth until the plane landed.
Paramedics met the aircraft in New Orleans and transported the man to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. During the ordeal, the man's wife shared that her husband had been experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms.
The man reportedly filled out the necessary coronavirus forms before flying with United, but said he hadn't tested positive and had not been suffering from COVID-19 symptoms within the past 14 days.
Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich determined that Hernandez died of COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure.
"It's sad to see that, you know, they lost a family member," Roberts told ABC News. "But at the same time, it was irresponsible on their part to have come on the plane."
United is now working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide all passenger information and seating assignments to ensure all impacted travelers who may have been exposed are notified and provided guidance.
As for the other passengers who attempted to save the man, an off-duty EMT who performed CPR is now reportedly showing symptoms of the deadly virus, according to the New York Post.
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