EMT Has COVID-19 Symptoms After Giving CPR To A Man On A Plane

Last week, Tony Aldapa was on a flight from Orlando, Florida, to Los Angeles, California, when one of the passengers suffered a heart attack. Aldapa, who is a licensed EMT, didn't hesitate and rushed over to help.

He performed CPR on the man as the plane was diverted to New Orleans. He did not perform mouth-to-mouth on the man but did have to place an oxygen mask over his face. When the plane landed, the man was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. United Airlines said that the man had symptoms of COVID-19 but would not say if that was the cause of his death.

One week later, Aldapa is worried he may have contracted COVID-19. He said he has been suffering from a dry cough, headaches, and body aches and has been in quarantine since the flight.

"Essentially, I just feel like I got hit by a train," he told KCAL."I had a cough, my whole body still hurt, I had a headache."

Aldapa said he was aware the man might have COVID-19 when he began to perform CPR.

"I knew the risks involved in performing CPR on someone that potentially has COVID but I made the choice to do so anyways," he wrote on Twitter. "I spoke with the passengers wife about his medical history and she never mentioned he was positive, she said he was scheduled to have a test done in LA."

United Airlines said it has sent over the flight manifest to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"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 airline said in a statement.

Photo: Getty Images