Orange County man with COVID-19 arrives at LAX in negative pressure isolation chamber

ORANGE (KABC) -- An Orange County resident with COVID-19 arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a private air-ambulance on Thursday morning.

The flight from Aruba arrived at the airport around 11 a.m. and was carrying the 65-year-old patient in a negative pressure isolation chamber, according to the air rescue company.

All staff on board the aircraft were seen wearing biohazard protective gear who then transferred the patient to a ground ambulance which was set to transport the patient to St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange.

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In a statement, a hospital spokesperson said it is prohibited from "confirming or denying the presence of any patient who may or may not be on campus."

Details surrounding the man's condition were not immediately available.

The patient's wife told Eyewitness News she believes her husband contracted the virus while they were in Egypt. She has also tested positive for novel coronavirus and is in self-isolation.

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Carlos Salinas, the owner and CEO of Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, said the there were two pilots, a critical care nurse and doctor on board the aircraft. The company purchased the isolation unit about three years ago during the Ebola outbreak.

"We bought it just in case. We never used it and this is the first time ever that we're using it," Salinas said.