In a terrifying ordeal, a Los Angeles-bound flight from Orlando, packed with passengers, had to divert and land for an emergency at New Orleans as a man suddenly developed breathing prpblem midway and succumbed to death within 20 minutes inside the flight.
Passengers sitting in various parts of the crowded cabin took photos in panic as they saw paramedics team attempted to revive the passenger, who was pronounced dead shortly after reaching a hospital, on Monday.
The team of medical professionals, who were allowed on board once the plane had landed at the New Orleans airport, later informed the media that they had overheard the man's wife saying on the flight that her husband was showing symptoms of COVID-19 for the past week, having lost his sense of taste and smell.
Medical emergency onboard
Quoting a few passengers onboard the United Airlines Flight 591, The Daily Mail reported that the man was seen shaking and sweating and having a hard time breathing even before the flight took off.
Once in the air, his condition deteriorated further rapidly. But thanks to the captain, who made a wise decision of an emergency landing so that the man could receive medical attention, the airlines said in a press statement. Just over an hour into the flight, the passenger who was sitting in seat 28D stopped breathing, the statement said.
The crew asked if there were any doctors onboard and a number of people got up to help. Some passengers even detailed how during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating— his bones could be heard to crack as chest compressions were carried out before he started turning blue, it added.
United further said that they believe that the man had lied during check-in when asked if he had any COVID-19 symptoms because he had acknowledged on the airline's Ready-to-Fly checklist that neither had he been diagnosed with Covid-19 nor did he show any Covid-related symptoms.
After receiving more information about the health of this passenger, "it is apparent he wrongly acknowledged this requirement," the statement said.
However, the family confirmed that the man had suffered from pre-existing conditions, including high-blood pressure and upper respiratory issues, and was feeling sick leading up to the day of travel.
Airline seeks contacts of other passengers
Now, as a change in aircraft was not warranted and all passengers opted to continue on to Los Angeles, United has shared requested information with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "so that they can work with local health officials to conduct outreach to any customer," whom the agency believes may be at risk for possible exposure or infection, the airline's statement said.
The company has been in touch with the man's family and has "extended our sincerest condolences to them for their loss," according to the statement.
Apart from quarantining, the CDC has also allowed the passengers, who were on board the United Airlines Flight 591, to share necessary information with the agency so that they can work with local health officials to screen such possible exposure or infection in near future.
Four flight attendants on the flight have also gone into quarantine for 14 days after the plane landed in Los Angeles, Taylor Garland, spokeswoman for Association of Flight Attendants, told NBC Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, the airlines announced that it will ask passengers for extra contact information in case anyone on their flight comes down with coronavirus, which it may probably share with the CDC.
Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines had announced that it would request contact tracing information for passengers coming into the United States. So far, no major Covid-19 outbreaks have been traced to a commercial flight in the US nor any widespread contact tracing efforts of passengers.
