By Catherine Marfin
2:13 PM on Jun 25, 2020 CDT
Eighteen members of a North Texas family tested positive for COVID-19 after a surprise birthday party in late May, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reports.
One of the people attended the party without knowing they had the virus, which resulted in seven relatives getting infected. Those seven then became ill and spread the virus to 10 others, WFAA reported.
“It was only a couple of hours,” said Ron Barbosa, a family member who works as a volunteer emergency medical technician. “But during that brief time, somehow the other 18 family members are now infected with COVID.”
He and his wife, who is a doctor, didn’t attend the party because of concerns about COVID-19, he told WFAA. Barbosa said 25 people attended the party to celebrate his daughter-in-law’s 30th birthday and stayed for varying lengths of time.
“When people started getting sick, we really let everyone have it,” Barbosa said. “We knew this was going to happen, I mean, this whole time this has been going on we’ve been terrified.”
Barbosa told WFAA that two children; two grandparents; his sister, who has breast cancer; and his parents, who are in their 80s, are among the family members who have the virus.
His parents and sister are hospitalized, but the rest of the family is mostly recovering, he said.
Barbosa said that his sister is feeling better but that his parents are still fighting the virus. His mother has been in the hospital since June 13 and his father has been in the hospital since June 17 and is close to being put on a ventilator, he said.
The family has been seeking blood plasma donations from people who previously had the virus and might have COVID-19 antibodies.
Barbosa said that they weren’t able to get plasma donations specifically for his father because doctors told him there is a shortage but that his family is encouraging anyone with COVID-19 antibodies to donate.
“If you’ve recovered … go donate your plasma,” he said.
