Man Who Performed CPR on Possible Coronavirus Patient Feeling Symptoms

A man who performed CPR on a possible coronavirus patient during a recent flight says he is experiencing symptoms of the illness.

The incident occurred Monday on a United Airlines flight traveling from Orlando to Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles reported.

The moment passenger Tony Aldapa saw the man was suffering from a serious condition, he used his EMT training and performed CPR while others helped.

“It was all kinda just second nature to see someone in a bad place you try to bring them out of the bad place,” Aldapa recalled. “There were three of us that were essentially tag-teaming doing chest compressions, probably about 45 minutes.”

The man’s wife later said her husband had coronavirus symptoms and was on his way home to be tested.

Following an emergency landing in New Orleans, the man died at a hospital and the flight continued to Los Angeles.

Passenger Megan Hubbard and her fiancé, Cameron Roberts, called the scene on the plane chaotic and said they became more worried when the man’s wife commented about his health.

“She had stated to everyone that was around us, we all heard, that he tested for COVID [Chinese coronavirus] last week and that he had symptoms like he had trouble breathing, loss of taste and loss of smell,” Hubbard noted, adding, “He was like having a hard time breathing. He didn’t look well at all.”

In regard to his symptoms, Aldapa said, “Essentially I just feel like I got hit by a train. I had a cough, my whole body still hurt, I had a headache.”

The airline said it was initially told the man suffered cardiac arrest but did not know about his possible coronavirus diagnosis.

“We are sharing requested information with the (CDC) 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,” the company explained in a statement.

Despite the risk, Aldapa only regrets not stepping in to help the man sooner, the New York Post reported.

“Knowing I had the knowledge, training, and experience to help out, I could not have sat idly by and watched someone die,” he noted.

Those experiencing coronavirus symptoms should remain at home, rest, stay hydrated, and call their doctor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website.

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