At Least 18 COVID-19 Cases Linked to 1 Birthday Party in Texas

It's the latest reminder that social distancing and wearing masks are recommended for a reason — 18 people linked to a birthday party in Texas have now tested positive for COVID-19. One of the people was a woman battling breast cancer.

"We knew this was gonna happen," said Ron Barbosa, who was invited to go to the party for his daughter-in-law, but says he decided against it because of the pandemic. The volunteer EMT strongly urged his family to cancel the party. "It wasn't that long, just a couple of hours. But during that brief time, somehow another 18 family members are now infected with COVID."

It turns out that a nephew who hosted the party came down with a mild cough the next day. He did not realize at the time that he was in the early stages of the virus. Eight guests at the party have since contracted the virus, and they in turn infected another 10 people they came in contact with.

Among the sick include Barbosa's elderly parents who have since been hospitalized. His father Frank is on life support. 

"My dad's hanging on by a thread, we're doing everything we can to keep him alive today," Barbosa said.

The rest of the family has recovered and are doing well.

Texas is facing a huge surge of coronavirus cases, hitting an all-time daily high of new cases after what critics say was a too-speedy opening. 

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