DALLAS COUNTY, Texas — Texas officials confirmed Sunday that a woman in her 30s died of the novel coronavirus in July while aboard an airplane awaiting takeoff.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins stated in a news release that the unidentified woman was a resident of Garland, Texas, with “underlying high-risk health conditions” who “expired on an interstate airline flight.”
NEW: Dallas County Reports 554 New Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 3 Deaths
— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) October 18, 2020
592 Total Cases Reported Today Including 38 Older Cases and 38 Probable Cases pic.twitter.com/8XkYAgkk7W
According to The Hill, it remains unclear if the woman was aware she was infected with the virus before boarding the July 25 flight bound for Texas from Arizona.
The plane was reportedly parked on the apron when the woman began having difficulty breathing. Flight staff administered oxygen, but the woman died on the jetway, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
Jenkins also noted that Dallas County officials were not alerted that COVID-19 was the cause of the woman’s death until a few days ago, The Hill reported.
“I would strongly encourage people to not think they’re invincible from COVID because they don’t think they’re in a high-risk category,” Jenkins said.
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Cox Media Group
