Utah Man Died Waiting In Line For Coronavirus Test
Jun 15, 2020, 6:59 PM | Updated: Jul 15, 2020, 7:04 pm
NORTH OGDEN, Utah – A 71-year-old man died while he was waiting in line to be tested for COVID-19 at a testing center Sunday.
North Ogden Mayor Neal Berube said the man was required to get the test before having a medical procedure done. He was brought to Intermountain Healthcare by a caregiver from Mountain View Health Services, a nursing facility in South Ogden where he lived.
While waits can be very long, wait times were relatively low on Sunday, according to a statement from Intermountain Healthcare. The statement said they were fully staffed, and testing volumes were significantly lower on a Sunday, averaging less than 45 minutes.
Once at the testing tent, the man was cold to the touch, and unresponsive.
“My understanding is the caregiver that was transporting this individual just kind of felt like he had fallen asleep, and was unaware he was in distress,” Berube said.
Staff called 911 emergency dispatchers, but paramedics were unable to revive the man. Details on the exact cause of death had not been determined.
“It’s my understanding that there were some health issues prior to him arriving at the facility for testing,” Berube said.
Normally, nursing and assisted-living centers can get help from the Utah Department of Health with on-site testing, but since this was a routine test before a procedure, it was different, officials said.
Mayor Berube said he is concerned about testing wait times that can sometimes last hours, even though he did not believe that was a factor in the death Sunday.
Mountain View did not respond to several requests for a comment.