Father and son, both doctors, die of COVID-19 after helping patients on front lines of pandemic in Florida
The men were respected figures from the Miami medical community.
LOS ANGELES – After working to save lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two Florida doctors – a father and a son – died weeks apart after contracting the novel coronavirus themselves.
Charlie Vallejo, 26, said his father Carlos Vallejo and grandfather Jorge Vallejo were both admitted to the ICU on Father’s Day.
The 89-year-old Jorge died six days after COVID-19 after being admitted on June 1. Jorge’s son Carlos, 57, spent 42 days in the ICU before contracting the virus on August 1.
“He practiced in internal medicine, he served the South Florida community for over 25 years, he was highly respected in the community,” Charlie said of his father, Carlos.
RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates
Both Carlos and Jorge immigrated to Cuba in the United States in 1965 to escape the communist Castro regime. Charlie said his grandfather “lived the American dream,” a life started in Florida with nothing but the clothes on his back, before earning his medical license and becoming an award-winning OB-GYN in the Miami area.
Carlos also became a medical fixture of the Miami community, practicing internal medicine and serving on the board of Palmetto General Hospital.
‘He was at the front fighting COVID. He treats many COVID patients in hospitals and rehab centers, and we believe this is where he first contracted the virus, ” Charlie said of his father, whom he described as an active, healthy and family man. straight man without underlying circumstances.
Charlie Vallejo said his grandfather was a favorite fixture of the Miami community. (Credit: Charlie Vallejo)
Charlie said his family warned Carlos to be careful when treating COVID-19 patients, and urged him to try to keep his distance and not be in the room unless he absolutely had to.
“But that was just not the man who was my father,” Charlie said. “My father would tell us, ‘No no no, I have to be in there, with my patients, whether they have COVID or not, I had to physically touch them.'”
While COVID-19 affects many areas of the United States, Florida reports one of the nation’s highest cases with more than 536,000 confirmed cases, according to data released Aug. 12 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Miami, in particular, was previously cited by some health experts as a potential new epicenter of the pandemic because of its growing number of cases.
RELATED: Coronavirus Tracking: Public Health in Florida Reports 8,109 New Cases and 212 More Deaths
“He was very careful, he would wear his mask, he would wear his face shield, full PPP, dress, everything, but you know there are always such slight chances that you can still catch the virus,” Charlie said. “Unfortunately he.”
Charlie said Carlos’ death was a big shock to the family, adding that his father was the last person he would have thought COVID-19 would die.
“Personally, we are devastated,” Charlie said. “I believe my father died a hero at the forefront serving his patients.”
Charlie described his father as an active and healthy man who did not have pre-existing conditions before he was infected with COVID-19. (Credit: Charlie Vallejo)
Charlie described what he sees as parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in which firefighters would bravely fight in buildings, risking their lives, only to help those in need.
“Here you have a war against an invisible enemy, this virus, and you have these doctors and nurses putting their lives on the line to save their patients, and the tragic thing that is happening,” Charlie said.
RELATED: Confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide reach 20 million
Charlie, who is a medical student, urges people to take the pandemic seriously and do their part to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
“This is not a hoax, wear your masks, do your part, and we must unite as a country to do everything possible to stop the spread of this virus. It’s terrible what’s happening,” Charlie said. “Some people think it’s just a statistic. It’s just numbers that go away, but we lose human lives every day. It’s very sad what’s happening.”
