A South Florida internal medicine doctor has died from complications with the coronavirus.
Dr. Alex Hsu, who worked at Northwest Medical Center in Margate, passed away after coming in close contact with COVID-19, according to his friend, Dr. Roly More.
The Broward Medical Examiner confirmed Hsu died of COVID-19.
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More said he did his internal medicine clinical rotations with Hsu, and considered him his mentor.
"He was like a member of the family. He knew all of your children’s names, he knew your grandchildren’s names, he knew your spouse's name. And for that reason he would take care of entire families," More said.
Hsu was just 67, More said. His death is believed to be the first involving a medical professional in South Florida.
"Dr. Hsu, a well-respected member of the medical community, was an active medical staff member at Northwest Medical Center from 1995-2017. He positively touched many of our patients’ lives throughout the years, and he will truly be missed. Our deepest condolences go out to his family," Northwest Medical Center said in a statement.
Patient Jose Valdez said he had just seen Hsu in December.
"These people are not just healthcare providers, they become like your family. They know things nobody knows about ourselves," Valdez said. "People are not really paying attention and protecting themselves and others. For us, this hit home. This practice is just a couple blocks away from home."
