David Lat in a 2013 interview
David Lat, founder of the legal news website Above the Law, is in critical condition from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and is on a ventilator, says his family.
“He’s not doing great,” husband Zachary Baron Shemtob told The New York Law Journal in a phone interview Saturday evening. Lat was put on a ventilator after his oxygen levels fell at some time late Friday or early Saturday at NYU Langone Hospital, Shemtob said.
Please spare a thought or a prayer for @DavidLat and his family. His mother reports that he has been intubated and is on a ventilator now. https://t.co/bOdaPseldw
— William Birdthistle (@WABirdthistle) March 21, 2020
Before things took a turn for the worse, Lat was already hospitalized, reported having a difficult experience with the virus, and said he had a tough time even getting tested for it until he got serious respiratory symptoms.
It shouldn’t have taken two separate ER visits, both times with severe respiratory symptoms, to get a #COVID19 test. But that was my experience – and even though the situation is improving, it’s still sadly the case for so many others. #LatsCovid19Journal
— David Lat (@DavidLat) March 18, 2020
In a tweet on Tuesday, Lat wrote that he was a “generally healthy” 44-year-old man, who weighed 153 pounds “(surely less now),” and was 5’7″ tall. He said he did no drugs, rarely drank, and had “no health conditions other than exercise-induced asthma, which I manage with an inhaler.” In follow-up posts, he said he ran the New York City marathon twice, and still worked out often, but because of the illness, “this ex-marathoner could barely walk the five feet from the bed to the toilet.” He described himself as “constantly weak and winded” because of the virus, and that he was hooked up to oxygen “24/7.” Lat even described eating as a challenge.
Shemtob said Saturday it wasn’t clear if there was a prognosis.
“I just want to folks to know that he is so strong; he is hanging in there, and we are praying he’ll recover,” he said. “Any thoughts or prayers people have are much appreciated.”
He’s certainly getting that.
#9 most read story of the week: Wishing David Lat A Speedy Recovery From COVID-19 UPDATED with the latest information on his condition https://t.co/mSJRLBitdj
— Above the Law (@atlblog) March 22, 2020
Been following David’s updates and sorry to hear this latest news. Lots of prayers for him ❤️❤️
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) March 21, 2020
Please pray for my pal @DavidLat. He is only 44 years old. He is a brilliant mind and a kind soul. All of us are pulling hard for him right now. #COVID19 #StayAtHome https://t.co/w5HCB5sSyZ
— Andrew Ross Sorkin (@andrewrsorkin) March 22, 2020
I’ve worked with @davidlat on many stories over the years. He is a mensch and a pleasure to work with. Please pray for his recovery. https://t.co/nHqYim0YPQ
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) March 21, 2020
Wow. This is very upsetting news. David is a great guy and an incredibly creative mind. Wishing @DavidLat all the best and the speediest of recoveries. https://t.co/1kwOI2SkA0
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) March 21, 2020
Update – March 22, 2020, 2:42 p.m.: We added more information regarding what Lat said about his prior physical condition.
[Screengrab via University of California Television (UCTV)]
