Coroner: Stricken traveler died fromcoronavirus

A coroner in Louisiana confirmed Tuesday what some had feared: that the death lastweek of a 69-yearold manwho experienced a medical emergency aboarda United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles had been caused by COVID-19.

The coroner’s office in Jefferson Parish identified the passenger as Isais Hernandez, 69, of Los Angeles, who was on United Flight 591 when it took off from Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 14.

The episode prompted alarm after social media reports at the time indicated theman’s wifehadtoldemergency medicalworkers that her husband had tested positive for the coronavirus.

At the time, United and medical professionals said they had not known that Hernandez had COVID-19. The airline did say that the man’s wife had been overheard telling an emergency worker that her husband had symptoms of COVID19, including loss of taste and smell.

While in the air, Hernandez experienced a medical emergency; several passengers and flight attendants administered aid to him as the flight was diverted to New Orleans.

When the flight landed, Hernandez was taken to OchsnerMedicalCenter-Kenner, where he died just after 9 p.m., according to the coroner’s report, which said the cause of death was “acute respiratory failure, COVID19.”

United said thatwhen the passenger had checked in for the flight, he attested, as part of a “Ready-to-Fly” checklist, that he had not tested positive for the coronavirus and did not have symptoms of COVID-19.

Charlie Hobart, a spokesperson for United Airlines, said Tuesday that he was not aware of any other passengers’ or crew members’ having tested positive for COVID-19 since the episode. He also said the airline had not known of Hernandez’s possible COVID exposure until after the flight left New Orleans.

“At the time of the incident, wewere told bymedicalprofessionals that thiswas a cardiac arrest incident,” Hobart said in an interview.

“Only later did it become apparent that this customer mayhavebeensufferingfrom symptoms of COVID-19.”

A telephone message left Tuesday night for the Hernandez family was not returned.

The episode did not prompt any specific changes to the airline’s safety protocols, whichHobartnotedhad long been in place. Officials also said that the finding that Hernandez had COVID-19 had not changed the precautions that were already being taken after the flight.

Taylor Garland, a spokeswoman for the union that represents flight attendants, said in a statement lastweek that four flight attendants who had been on Flight 591 had been in quarantine since landing in Los Angeles.

Hobart said Tuesday that United had provided information lastweek to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionaboutwhowason Flight 591 for the purposes of contact tracing.

“Per the federal guidelines, the CDC then reaches out to customers that they believemay potentially have been at risk for infection,” Hobart said.