A Texas family gathered for a small, casual birthday party at the beginning of November, and now they are pleading for others to not do the same.
A total of twelve members were in attendance of the party and within days, all of those at the party and three more family members that didn't attend tested positive for COVID-19.
Alexa Aragonez, who didn't attend, but dropped her 57-year-old mother off at the party, told WFAA, "The entire family decided, 'OK, because a few of us are feeling ill, let’s all get tested. A total of 15 tested positive."
Two children are among the 15 that tested positive for the virus.
A video of Alexa's mom, Enriqueta Aragonez, in the hospital showed her saying, "I went to my nephew’s house and loved seeing my family, but now I’m fighting against COVID-19."
She said, "Please protect yourself."
Enriqueta was hospitalized in a cardiovascular unit for nearly a week after her resting heart rate rose to 160 bpm.
Alexa's sister said, "We feel guilty for gathering."
"We were one of those families that took care of each other. We took every single precaution, with the exception of gathering," Alexa said.
Photo: Getty Images
Source: WFAA