An out-of-service EMT who performed CPR on a United Airline passenger who later died of COVID-19 has revealed that he is now showing symptoms of the deadly virus and is feeling “hit by a train,” according to a report.
Tony Aldapa was one of the passengers who tried to revive 69-year-old Isaias Hernandez, who collapsed Monday on a flight from Orlando to Los Angeles, even after the man’s wife admitted he had symptoms of coronavirus.
On Tuesday, Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich determined Hernandez died of COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure.
“It was all second nature to see someone in a bad place, try to get them out of the wrong place,” Aldapa told Los Angeles television.
“There were three of us who basically formed tag teams doing chest compressions, probably about 45 minutes,” the emergency medical technician said.
Hernandez’s wife later admitted that her husband had symptoms of the killer mistake before boarding the flight and that she was heading home for the test.
“He told me he had symptoms, that he was short of breath and just wanted to take him home and they planned to do the test this week,” Aldapa told the station.
After emergency landing to take the man to a hospital, where he died, the flight continued to Los Angeles.
Now Aldapa is worried about having infected the disease.
“Essentially I just feel hit by a train,” he told CBS LA. “I had a cough, my whole body was still hurting, I had a headache.”
Meanwhile, TMZ has reported that United has not yet notified the 179 passengers of the flight that Hernandez had COVID-19, saying it is not his responsibility.
A representative of the airline reported on departure that they had been in contact with CDC and provided the agency with the flight manifesto, adding that it is up to the CDC to contact passengers who may have been exposed.
United said it was initially reported that the passenger suffered a cardiac arrest, but that he was unaware of his possible symptoms of COVID-19, according to CBS LA.
“We are sharing the requested information with the (CDC) so that they can work with local health officials to take action on any client that CDC believes may be at risk for possible exposure or infection,” United said in a statement.
Airline passengers must fill out a form acknowledging that they have not shown positive symptoms or experienced the previous 14 days, but no testing is required.
Aldapa told the CBS affiliate that CDC has not yet contacted him.
In a statement to the station, the agency said it “is in the process of gathering information and proceeding in accordance with our standard operating procedures to determine if other public health actions are appropriate.
“To protect a person’s privacy, we do not provide this information to the public,” the CDC added.