A coroner in Louisiana confirmed on Tuesday what some had feared: that the death last week of a 69-year-old man who experienced a medical emergency aboard a United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles had been caused by Covid-19.

The coroner’s office in Jefferson Parish identified the passenger as Isais Hernandez, 69, of Los Angeles, who was on United Flight 591 when it took off from Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 14.

The episode prompted alarm after social media reports at the time indicated that the man’s wife had told emergency medical workers that her husband had tested positive for the coronavirus.

At the time, United and medical professionals said they had not known that Mr. Hernandez had Covid-19. The airline did say that the man’s wife had been overheard telling an emergency worker that her husband had symptoms of Covid-19, including loss of taste and smell.