Retired surgeon spread COVID-19 on flight, LA nursing home and no one knew

Coronavirus was spread on board a March 19 American Airlines flight from New York to Los Angeles by a retired Manhattan surgeon, but no one told the crew or passengers they were in any danger, The Los Angeles Times reported. According to the report, the 69-year-old former surgeon flew to LA to move to the Silverado Beverly Place assisted living facility for dementia care. The report said it would not name the retired surgeon, as his mental competency is unclear. Despite arriving from New York, which was hit hard by the virus and remains one of the largest epicenters of COVID-19 in the world, three of the facility's employees told the Times that the patient was not quarantined upon arrival. The man was soon diagnosed with COVID-19, after he was hospitalized with a cough and fever a day after his flight. Local public health officials said at the time that they were looking into each confirmed case in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. However, there appears to have been severe communication issues regarding the incident. According to the Times, the LA County Health Department was not notified of the diagnosis for 11 days. By the point, all contact information regarding the individual was incomplete. The department closed attempts at tracing contacts after 14 days, the Times reported, as they were unable to interview the patient. In addition, none of the 49 passengers and eight crew on the flight were given any sort of notification. Even the airline was unaware, having reportedly only learned of the case from the Times. This communication issue between bodies was compounded by the failure of LA health officials to notify the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the flight from New York, which meant that no contact tracing could be done on the passengers and crew on board. “Any delay in contacting exposed individuals will increase the likelihood of disease spread,” a CDC spokesman said. In addition, because he was not placed in quarantine, the virus spread throughout the assisted living facility, where over a dozen people died, the Times reported. One of the victims, 32-year-old nurse Brittany Bruner-Ringo, was the nurse assigned to welcome the man into the facility. According to the Times, she later told her mother, sister and a colleague that he had a cough and fever upon arrival, though the facility has denied this and claims Bruner-Ringo's medical report for him showed no symptoms. The United States currently has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, with over two million people infected and over 100 thousand people dead. According to Johns Hopkins University, Los Angeles County has the second highest total number of confirmed cases out of all counties in the country, with over 73,000 cases.

Retired surgeon spread COVID-19 on flight, LA nursing home and no one knew

The county health department wasn't notified for 11 days. The airline, passengers, crew and even the CDC were never notified at all.

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Retired surgeon spread COVID-19 on flight, LA nursing home and no one knew

The county health department wasn't notified for 11 days. The airline, passengers, crew and even the CDC were never notified at all.

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