Eighteen Relatives Contract Coronavirus After Surprise Family Party

A surprise birthday party has resulted in 18 people contracting the coronavirus, with one man fighting for his life in intensive care.

Around 25 people attended the party in Carrollton, Texas - including one man who had coronavirus but was unaware and had simply put his cough down to his job working in construction.

At the party he interacted with seven members of his family who then passed it on to another 10 relatives, leaving a total of 18 family members testing positive for the virus.

Three people were hospitalised following the outbreak - Frank and Carole Barbosa, who are both in their 80s, and Kathy Barbosa, who has breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Kathy and Carole have since been discharged and are recovering at home, but Frank is still very sick.

Frank and Carole's son Ron Barbosa, who refused to attend the gathering, has spoken out about the incident, saying his dad is 'hanging on by a thread' while on life support.

WFAA

Barbosa told the Associated Press his dad didn't attend the party but later contracted the virus and that his mum had only stopped by to drop something off.

Warning others about the dangers of the virus, Barbosa told Buzzfeed: "My message is that if you're going to see family and they don't live with you, mask up and keep your distance.

"I want everyone to be with their loved ones. I just want everybody to be cautious and not try to take pictures and selfies with a group of 20 people."

Barbosa is also urging anyone who has contracted the virus and recovered to donate their blood for convalescent plasma therapy.

Although some social media users have criticised the family for holding the party - it was perfectly legal and in keeping with Texas' health standards.

WFAA

Coronavirus cases in Texas have increased recently, prompting Governor Gregg Abbott to announce that the state will postpone any further reopening.

He said: "The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business."

Topics: Coronavirus, US News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19