A university professor in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who had been battling symptoms of coronavirus for several weeks, reportedly collapsed and died on Wednesday while delivering an online class from her home.
Paola De Simone, 46, a member of the government and international relations faculty at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, passed out while teaching via the video conferencing platform Zoom, reported the Clarín newspaper.
Students participating in the virtual lecture reportedly asked De Simone for her address so that they could send medical help, according to the Pagina 12 outlet. But she only responded “I can’t” before passing out, per MDZ Online.
Images of the tragic incident were later shared online, according to local news reports, sparking anger among social media users.
De Simone, the mother of a young daughter, had just days earlier noted on Twitter how she’d been fighting Covid-19 for a month and that her symptoms had shown no sign of easing off, reported Perfil.
She also revealed that her husband, a doctor who was not at home at the time of her death, was exhausted from the increased workload resulting from the public health crisis. He reportedly arrived home to find his wife dead.
The coronavirus has killed more than 9,300 people in Argentina.
Upwards of 450,000 have tested positive for the contagion nationwide. The country is currently experiencing a severe uptick in the number of confirmed cases, with around 12,000 new infections now being recorded each day.
The university described De Simone, an employee for 15 years, in a statement shared on its social media accounts as “a passionate and dedicated teacher” and a “great” person.
Friends and colleagues also honored the educator, hailing her spirit and dedication to her students.