Medical professional screening passengers at LAX airport tests positive for coronavirus

A traveller pulls his bags while walking past an LAX sign at Los Angeles International Airport as access roads were closed with flights delayed and cancelled after a gunman reportedly shot 3 people at a security checkpoint on November 1, 2013 in Los

A medical professional screening passengers at Los Angeles International Airport was diagnosed with COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The worker who contracted the virus was last screening air travelers for the illness on Feb. 21, more than a week before they started experiencing symptoms, DHS said.

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The medical professional who was contracted by DHS to conduct the screenings is currently under self-quarantine at home with mild symptoms and under medical supervision. Their immediate family is also under home quarantine. 

The individual began to experience cold-like symptoms on Saturday, Feb. 29 and went to the doctor on Sunday, at which time doctors tested the individual for COVID-19, which came back positive.

DHS said that the individual was highly trained and did everything right, both on the job and when they began to feel sick. The individual was wearing proper protective gear while working, they self-quarantined when they began to feel ill and saw a physician immediately. The individual also reported the diagnosis to the appropriate authorities and officials, DHS said.


DHS said they are trying to determine whether the case was a result of the individual's work as a medical screener, or as a result of the virus spreading in the community. Adding, that there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 detections reported from the LAX screened travelers. DHS officials are now working to trace who the medical professional came into contact with to try to determine how they contracted the virus.