A Los Angeles teen — who tested positive for the coronavirus — died of septic shock after being turned away from an urgent care facility because he didn’t have health insurance.
While the 17-year old’s positive COVID-19 test didn’t arrive until after his death, residents of the LA neighborhood of Lancaster are outraged.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris told the Daily Mail the teen was healthy and had no pre-existing conditions before his death. Parris said the boy was turned away from the urgent care facility despite having respiratory issues because he didn’t have insurance and was told to go to a public hospital instead.
The boy went into cardiac arrest en route to Antelope Valley Hospital.
“[The hospital] was able to revive him and keep him alive for about six hours. But by the time he got there, it was too late,” Parris told the Mail. “The Friday before he died, he was healthy. By Wednesday, he was dead.”
The boy’s father is an Uber driver and he and several other members of the family have also tested positive for COVID-19. Members of a family who claim to be close to the teen say they too have tested positive for the virus.
Health officials in Los Angeles County announced this week that the teenager had died of coronavirus.
Just hours after health officials in LA County announced the boy had died from the coronavirus — health officials said there may be an “alternate explanation” and that his death would be further investigated.