Man Who Was On Cruise Ship With Coronavirus Patients Dies In Sunnyvale
SUNNYVALE (CBS SF) -- Police in Sunnyvale on Thursday announced the death of a 72-year-old man who was later determined to have traveled on the same cruise ship with passengers suspected of having the coronavirus.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Twitter account posted about the incident Thursday afternoon. According to the post, a Sunnyvale DPS officer performed CPR on a 72-year-old patient who was discovered unconscious and not breathing.
Earlier today our officers performed CPR on a 72-year-old patient who was unconscious and not breathing. Unfortunately, the patient didn't survive. It was later learned the patient had recently been on a cruise with two passengers were suspected of having COVID19.
— Sunnyvale DPS (@SunnyvaleDPS) March 6, 2020
According to the post, the patient died. Sunnyvale DPS later determined that the patient had been a passenger on a cruise ship with passengers suspected of having COVID-19.
During a later press conference the Sunnyvale DPS Chief Phan Ngo said the officers responded to a call regarding an unconscious man who had stopped breathing. The officers performed CPR, but did not perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the patient contrary to some reports.
"While obtaining the patient's medical history, a family member advised us that the patient had recently been on a cruise where to passengers were suspected of having COVID-19," said Ngo. "Although it has not yet been determined by Santa Clara County Public Health whether or not the patient had COVID-19, we are taking every step possible to ensure the safety and well being of the officers on the call, the members of our department and the Sunnyvale community."
The department has been in constant contact with the county health department and the CDC to make sure officials are following proper procedures.
Out of an abundance of caution, the seven public safety officers on the call were quarantined at a city facility for several hours and have since returned home, Ngo said.
Ngo said that the department would make an announcement as soon as more information is learned, but reiterated that it was not confirmed that the patient had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The post did not specify whether the patient had been a passenger on the Grand Princess, the same cruise ship currently off the coast of California that has been linked to several coronavirus cases, or another cruise ship, possibly one of the ships that had passengers evacuated to the U.S. after outbreaks that occurred overseas.