A United Airlines flight was diverted after a passenger suffered a health emergency and died, Huffpost reported Sunday.
United Airlines, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are trying to contact passengers of a recent Orlando-to-Los Angeles flight to warn them of potential exposure to coronavirus after the passenger's death.
Airline officials said the passenger's wife told an emergency medical officer that her husband had coronavirus-related symptoms.
However, the woman and her husband had not revealed the symptoms -- which included loss of smell and taste -- before they boarded the plane, the Times reported. Authorities have not confirmed if the man tested positive for COVID.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the passenger as the aircraft was rerouted to New Orleans, reports said, citing eyewitness testimonies. Upon arrival, the sick passenger was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
"It is sad to see that they lost a family member... but at the same time, it was irresponsible on their part to have come on the plane, ABC News quoted Cameron Roberts, one of the plane's passengers, as saying.
Passenger Shay Allen told NBC Los Angeles said she saw the man board the plane "breathing really heavy" with his head down. She later said she overheard the man's wife admit that he experienced COVID-19 symptoms before the flight.
CDC disclosed it was in the process of gathering information and proceeding according to the agency's standard operating procedures to find out if further public health action is required. "To protect the privacy of the individual, we are not providing this information to the public," CDC told Reuters in an emailed statement.
After the incident, the CDC has contacted United Airlines and has been complying with the center's request to release passenger contact details for contact tracing, the Times reports.
News of the possible coronavirus exposure to passengers was shared on social media. Some passengers believe he was flying back to Los Angeles after a trip to Disney World based on the Disney bags that his family carried onto the plane.
The airline requires all passengers to complete a "Ready-to-Fly" checklist before they are allowed to check into a plane, which prompts them to accept they are free from coronavirus nor have they had any associated symptoms in the past 14 days.
United Airlines urged passengers not to travel if they have tested positive for COVID or have virus-related symptoms. The airline added that if in doubt, the best option is to get tested.
