This dedicated university professor who continued to give classes for six hours with an oxygen tank after contracting COVID-19 has died due to complications with the virus.
The tragic story happened in the Peruvian capital of Lima where National University of San Marcos professor Jorge Jesus Gavelan Izaguirre, 71, died due to complications with COVID-19 on 17th February.
Local media said Gavelan Izaguirre had been set to be on leave from work after he received news he tested positive for the virus which was reportedly further complicated by a heart condition he had.
There are conflicting reports as to when he contracted COVID-19 as some local sources report it happened in June 2020 while others claimed it was in January of this year.
However, despite his university having hired a substitute teacher, Gavelan Izaguirre insisted he continue conducting the classes to ensure the best education for his students.
The local newspaper El Comercia said the dedicated professor’s decision came after he saw the substitute was not doing their job properly but no further information was given. (https://bit.ly/3k9vuCq)
Gavelan Izaguirre was forced to teach while wearing an oxygen mask consuming as many as four litres of oxygen per day.
His daughter Fabiola Geavelan told El Comercio: “We told him, dad stop but he said he wanted to continue so he did.
“He gave online classes three times a week to three classrooms. It was an average of six hours daily. He finished them, took a final exam and from there started to feel ill. He went from needing four litres of oxygen to suddenly nine and we had to take him to the hospital.”
Fabiola went on to say they had to rush him to hospital where he was placed in an ICU and died two days due to the damage his lungs suffered during the illness.
Gavelan Izaguirre had taught at the university for 35 years when he died.
A student named Esteban Aguilar described him as an excellent teacher who “prioritised their education over his health”. He added: “The legacy he [Gavelan Izaguirre] left us will inspire a big change in the country.”
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Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency: Newsflash
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