Miami has reported its first COVID-19 related death, amid fears it could become the next coronavirus epicenter in the United States. Is...
Miami has reported its first COVID-19 related death, amid fears it could become the next coronavirus epicenter in the United States.
Israel Carreras, 40, died in hospital Friday due to complications from the highly contagious virus he is believed to have caught at a dance party held on Miami Beach earlier this month.
Carreras' heartbroken partner, Franco Conquista, has paid tribute to his boyfriend in an interview with NBC, stating: 'Everybody loved him. His personality just shined ... [there was] just an aura around him'.
Carreras attended the Winter Party Festival between March 4 and 10, before coming down with a horrible cough.
The party attracts thousands of people each year, who squeeze into close confines to enjoy house music. At least nine other attendees have also tested positive to COVID-19.
The US now has 104,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. New York state remains the nation's epicenter, with more than 44,000 cases. However, Florida's case count has exploded in recent days with 3,182 people now confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.
Israel Carreras, 40, died in hospital Friday due to complications from the highly contagious virus he is believed to have caught at a dance party held on Miami Beach earlier this month
On Saturday, a heartbroken Conquista told NBC that his boyfriend's symptoms came on quickly
'It started with fever, and then very quickly he was having problems with breathing,' he stated.
Carreras was soon taken to hospital and tested for COVID-19. A positive result was returned this past Monday.
'He could not breathe, and then they put tubes in his nose and his mouth,' Conquista recalled.
'He couldn't even get the tubes out to eat. Because he couldn't breathe'.
Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, Conquista was unable to spend time with his boyfriend in person.
'We FaceTimed a few times, but it was just sign language because he couldn't talk. He had tubes everywhere,' Conquista stated.
'It's like somebody sucks the will of wanting to live out of you,' he said of the way the virus ravaged his partner's body.
Late Friday, the Miami Herald reported that the city had recorded its second COVID-19 death - a 79-year-old man who has not yet been publicly identified.
As of Friday evening, there were 869 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade county.
Florida as a whole now has 3,192 cases - and has recorded 45 deaths.
The case number has exploded in recent days, sparking fears that Florida is on track to become the next coronavirus epicenter in the US.
Experts say with millions of Americans heading down to the Sunshine State to escape winter or for spring break - and drive-thru testing sites running out of kits - it could be a perfect storm for a rise in infections.
What's more, nearly four million senior citizens live in Florida, a huge concern considering the elderly are the most vulnerable to contract the virus.
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