Covid-19 caused the death of a traveler who fell ill aboard a flight from Florida to California last week, Louisiana authorities said Tuesday.
Jefferson Parish coroners listed “acute respiratory failure” and “Covid-19” as causes of death for Isaias Hernandez, a 69-year-old Los Angeles resident.
Hernandez had been aboard a westbound United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles last Monday. After falling ill, two fellow travelers — a nurse and EMT — performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, witnesses said.
The flight was diverted to New Orleans and Hernandez died that night at a hospital in Kenner, Louisiana, according to the coroner’s report.
Passengers on the flight said they overheard the man’s wife saying he had been experiencing Covid-like symptoms, and the coroner report on Thursday confirmed those fears.
United and health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were contacting passengers who might have been exposed to coronavirus, the airline said in a statement last week.
A United representative could not be immediately reached for comment by NBC News on Tuesday.
