Coronavirus In Texas: 14 Of A Family Test Positive After Get-Together, 1 Dies

Fourteen members of a Texas family tested positive for the coronavirus after taking part in a get-together in June. One of them died earlier this month.

Tony Green hosted a party for his partner’s parents on June 13 in Dallas. By July 2, the father of Tony’s partner, Rafael Ceja, was hospitalized unaware that his mother in the next room had died of COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Ceja and his wife were among the group of people who tested positive after the get together in Dallas. They then traveled to Austin for the birth of their first grandchild.

"That night in Austin, my father-in-law became ill," Green said, adding that those who fell ill quickly left Austin, which included Rafael’s mom. By then, the parents of the newborn were ill and tested positive for COVID-19.

Ceja is on life support as of Monday, July 27. Green says the other family members are recovering and the newborn has not shown any symptoms.

On July 14, a funeral was held for Ceja's mother with only 10 family members able to attend.

Green has launched a GoFundMe account to help cover the medical costs.

Green told NBC that he, his partner and the in-laws did not wear masks at the June 13 party. "We just felt the worst was behind the country because everything was easy, things were reopening and none of us were experiencing any symptoms," Green said.

The COVID 19 statistics from Worldometer show that Green’s optimism was "justified". For April and May and half of June, the daily new case count for Texas was showing a gradual rise never exceeding 2,500 through June 15, two days after the party for Green’s in-laws. On June 16, the daily new case count began to rise, reaching a peak of 12,490 by July 15.

The daily death count took a similar trajectory. Up until July 6, the daily death count was no higher than 63 but on July 23, it had peaked at 212.

Green is using the GoFundMe account to express his grief and guilt that he describes as "overwhelming". He wrote, "The pain and trauma that was yet to come is more than anybody could have prepared for. I cannot help but feel responsible for convincing our families it was safe to have a get-together. There's a lot of things that I would have done differently.”

On July 2, Texas Governor Greg Abbott made facemasks mandatory in any county with 20 or more cases of the coronavirus. The Governor released a statement that read, "Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19”.

Green had a message for his friends who do not think that the virus is significant enough to alter their way of life, saying to NBC News, "I don't think they're going to change their opinions unless it bites them in the butt like it did me.”