A passenger who died on a United Airlines flight last week had Covid-19, according to a coroner’s report Tuesday.
United Airlines flight 591 bound for Los Angeles from Orlando, Fla., was diverted to New Orleans on Dec. 14 for a medical emergency. The passenger was then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gerry Cvitanovich, the coroner of Jefferson Parish, La., listed respiratory failure and Covid-19 as the causes of the 69-year-old man’s death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had asked the airline last week for information to assist in contacting passengers who could have been exposed to Covid-19 on the flight, but said it couldn’t confirm whether the deceased passenger had the virus. The CDC said Tuesday that it sends passengers’ contact information to local health authorities to conduct public health follow-up and contact tracing.
The coroner’s report confirms what some passengers on the flight had feared, amid reports on social media that the deceased passenger had experienced Covid-19 symptoms.
