College professor dies teaching online class after weekslong battle With COVID-19
A college professor in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who had been battling symptoms of the 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 were showing no signs 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.
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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.
A post shared by UADE (@uadeoficial) on Sep 3, 2020 at 11:43am PDT
Friends and colleagues also honored the educator, hailing her spirit and dedication to her students.
Despedida a una amiga. Te vamos a extrañar, @paolillabombon. pic.twitter.com/f7uXiR2EMC
— Facundo Cruz 💚 (@facucruz) September 2, 2020
Una de las personas más dedicadas a sus alumnos, con la que trabajé y compartí mil anécdotas ya de graduada, hasta con su adorada hija, hoy nos dejó. Estoy en shock. Gracias @paolillabombon Dejaste una huella irremplazable en todos los que tuvimos la suerte de conocerte 💔
— Dani (@DanuVarela) September 2, 2020
Una amiga queridísima que se llevó este maldito virus.
Hasta cuando sea @paolillabombon
Me quedo con tu sonrisa y tus palabras siempre amables y certeras. Mi abrazo inmenso a tu hijita y tu esposo.
Por favor, cuídense y cuiden a los demás. Usen barbijo; tomen precauciones. https://t.co/IDe1lEKnu2— SilvinaSterinPensel✨ (@SilSterinPensel) September 3, 2020
Hoy nos dejó @paolillabombon una querida colega, profesora y amiga. Un día triste para todos los que la conocimos. pic.twitter.com/dtriT5Nm8B
— Juan Battaleme (@battaleme) September 2, 2020
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