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Coronavirus: Man, 34, with underlying health conditions dies from Covid-19 after recently visiting Disney World

A 34-year-old cancer survivor died days after testing positive for coronavirus, and after returning form a trip to Florida

Gino Spocchia
Friday 20 March 2020 15:41 GMT
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Disney World Florida closed on 16th March, days after a 34-year-old man died from coronavirus after visiting the theme park
Disney World Florida closed on 16th March, days after a 34-year-old man died from coronavirus after visiting the theme park (AP)

A 34-year-old man with underlying health conditions has died in California days after testing positive for coronavirus and after visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida.

Health officials from Los Angeles County confirmed on Thursday that a man between the ages of 30 and 50 had become the second person in the county to die of coronavirus.

The 34-year-old returned to Los Angeles on March 9 with a cough and high fever that had developed at the end of a trip to Florida, according to a TMZ report.

Jeffrey Ghazarian was confirmed to test positive for coronavirus on March 13. Having been sent home to self-isolate despite being diagnosed with pneumonia, he was taken to an intensive care unit at a hospital in Pasadena, California, the next day.

A CT scan showed that 60% to 70% of Mr Ghazarian’s lungs were blocked with pneumonia.

In a series of Facebook updates, the man’s sister wrote that “Shortly after his transfer to the ICU, they sedated him and put him on the ventilator”.

TMZ reported that Mr Ghazarian was approved to receive antibiotics but that the medicine was delayed and did not reach him.

His sister said that “He suffered a lot and put up a good fight.” Mr Ghazarian had previously recovered from testicular cancer in 2016, and had suffered from asthma.

On March 16, both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios announced that they would close due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Ghazarian is believed to be one of the youngest US fatalities of the disease that has so far killed 205 and infected more than 14,000 people.

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