After a Twitter thread claiming a man died of COVID-19 on a flight went viral, official details have been released.
Twitter user @jobreauxx claimed a man died of COVID-19 mid-flight. According to Jordan, the flight continued on the same plane.
“Wet wipes better save the day this time. [Because] I’m shook,” she said.
Jordan said the man’s wife told medics her husband tested positive for COVID-19.
People were furious when they found out this man potentially flew knowing he had COVID-19.
Now, officials are releasing new details surrounding the flight. The flight to Los Angeles left from Orlando but made a stop in New Orleans after a man went into cardiac arrest.
A United Airlines spokesperson said the passenger “declared he was not diagnosed with COVID and had no COVID-related symptoms,” according to TMZ. However, the man’s wife was overheard saying they had symptoms of COVID-19, including a loss of taste and smell.
United staff said they were not initially aware of the couple’s COVID-19 symptoms. United officials said they were told the man died of cardiac distress, which is why they continued the flight to Los Angeles.
“The decision to continue on to Los Angeles was made after the medical professionals initially ruled the emergency as cardiac distress,” United said in a statement. “A change in aircraft was not warranted. Instead, passengers were given the option to deplane and take a later flight or continue on to Los Angeles. All passengers opted to continue.”
United is now working with the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) to contact trace and reach passengers who may have been exposed to COVID-19.
“We are sharing requested information with the agency so they can work with local health officials to conduct outreach to any customer the CDC believes may be at risk for possible exposure or infection,” United told the New York Times in a statement.
The CDC said it is collecting information about the flight and “proceeding according to our standard operating procedures to determine if further public health action is appropriate.” In the interest of protecting privacy, the CDC won’t be releasing any of this information to the public.
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