71-year-old needed to be tested for COVID-19. He died waiting in line, UT officials say

A 71-year-old man died while waiting for a COVID-19 test at a clinic, Utah news outlets report.

A patient at a South Ogden nursing home died Sunday while waiting at an outdoor coronavirus testing facility, the Standard-Examiner reported.

“When the nursing facility’s van reached the testing tent after less than a 45-minute wait, their patient was unresponsive, cold to the touch and appeared to be deceased,” Intermountain Healthcare, which operates the clinic, told the Standard-Examiner. “Testing center caregivers acted quickly and followed correct procedures by immediately calling 911, but EMS workers could not revive the individual.”

Intermountain Healthcare spokesperson Erin Goff told FOX 13 she was unsure how long the patient was waiting.

The man’s name has not been released, and officials do not know if he died from coronavirus, according to the news outlet. The mayor told FOX 13 that the patient could have sought a COVID-19 test “to prepare for an upcoming surgery.”

“Anyone who is seriously ill should call 911 for help or go directly to a hospital emergency room, not to a COVID-19 drive-through testing center,” Intermountain Healthcare told the Standard-Examiner.

The testing center was fully staffed, KUTV reported. Sunday was a slower day, with fewer people seeking a coronavirus test and an average wait time of 45 minutes, according to the news outlet.

There have been more than 30,470 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Utah as of Tuesday evening, according to the state’s Department of Health. At least 226 people have died from the coronavirus, the state data show. More than 424,500 people have been tested for the virus.

“It seems like it was quite sudden,” Intermountain Healthcare board of trustees member and North Ogden Mayor Neal Berube told Fox 13. “The line is quite long, which I believe is the case at most testing facilities today... the waits could be up to several hours long.”