Miami’s first coronavirus death is 40-year-old man who fell ill after beach party
A “HEALTHY” 40-year-old man has died from the coronavirus in Miami, marking the city’s first recorded death from the global pandemic. Israel Carreras told friends he contracted the deadly virus at the city’s Winter Party Festival, held from March 4 through 10 in Miami Beach. Carreras’ partner, Franco Conquista, said the man isolated himself at […]
A “HEALTHY” 40-year-old man has died from the coronavirus in Miami, marking the city’s first recorded death from the global pandemic.
Israel Carreras told friends he contracted the deadly virus at the city’s Winter Party Festival, held from March 4 through 10 in Miami Beach.
Carreras’ partner, Franco Conquista, said the man isolated himself at home, but got sick quickly, WSVN reported.
He died on Friday.
“He started to feel sick after the event,” Conquista said.
“We went together. I went to his place, taking care of him for two days, and I also had it.”
“He couldn’t breathe, so he wanted to go to the hospital, and then, he was at the hospital for four or five days.”
Carreras’ partner said medical workers then “put him to sleep because he was really agitated, and then, he never woke up again.”
Conquista described his partner as “a very hard-working man” who “was full of energy.”
He said the 40-year-old “was working 13, 14 hours a day so he could provide for himself and provide for his family back in Cuba.”
Carreras reportedly worked in a warehouse and as an Uber driver.
Conquista told WTVJ after his partner’s death: “It’s like somebody sucked the will of wanting to live out of you, like it’s just no reason.”
“Everybody loved him. His personality just shined … just an aura around him, you can feel the energy that was just pure positive energy.”
Shortly after Carreras’ death was announced, officials said a second person, a 79-year-old man, died from the coronavirus in Miami-Dade County.
At least 3,763 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the entire state of Florida, and 503 people were hospitalized as of Friday.
Officials say at least 54 people in the state have died from the virus.
Conquista told WSVN he wants people to know the coronavirus “is serious.”
“They need to stay at home. It doesn’t just kill old people. This poor boy had only 40 years old.”
“It can kill anybody, so just stay home and think of other people. Try to save other people’s lives. Just because you are not affected directly doesn’t mean that people are not suffering from this.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been resistant to implementing a statewide shutdown in Florida, which has 21 million residents.
Instead, he’s been imposing tougher restrictions on counties that have been hit hard by the virus.
Nearly a third of Florida’s counties have reported no cases of COVID-19, but most are small and rural.
Last Monday, DeSantis ordered any of the state’s residents who had traveled to New York to self-isolate for 14 days.
New York is the epicenter of the United States’ coronavirus outbreak, but in all, more than 100,000 cases have been confirmed across the country.
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DeSantis has taken some statewide measures, and has closed parks, bars and gyms.
He’s restricting visitations to nursing homes, and limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery.
The governor also eventually decided to close beaches in two South Florida counties.
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