Man shows symptoms after aiding flight passenger with virus

An emergency medical technician said he has COVID-19 symptoms after performing CPR on a man infected with the coronavirus who later died after going into cardiac arrest during a United flight. Tony Aldapa, a Navy veteran, said his training kicked in when he saw the passenger needed medical help during the Dec. 14 flight from Orlando, Florida, to Los Angeles. He knew the potential health risks of performing CPR on someone he didn’t know but didn’t flinch and started chest compressions on the man, whose wife told Aldapa he had virus symptoms, KNBC-TV reported. An autopsy found the 69-year-old Los Angeles man died of acute respiratory failure and confirmed he was infected with COVID-19, according to a report from the coroner of Jefferson Parish in Louisiana that listed the death as natural. Aldapa said he had planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday because he is a licensed EMT and an emergency room worker. Instead, he is awaiting results from a coronavirus test. Aldapa, along with another EMT and ICU nurse, took turns doing CPR on the man, who has not been identified. The group did not do mouth-to-mouth but had rotated a resuscitator and oxygen mask to help the man breathe while doing chest compressions for 45 minutes.<br/>