Ill birthday party guest jokes about COVID-19 — and infects others, CA officials say

A birthday party in Pasadena, California, after a stay-home order sent at least five guests home with an unwelcome gift — the COVID-19 virus, city officials say.

“One person showed up to the party exhibiting symptoms and joking she may have the virus,” Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman for the city of Pasadena, said in an email, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“The aftermath affected several others who became seriously ill because of one person’s negligent and selfish behavior,” Derderian said, according to the publication.

Family and friends at the large party, held after a March 31 “safer at home” order in Pasadena, did not wear masks or observe social-distancing rules, city health officials say.

A Pasadena Public Health Department disease investigation team used contact tracing to link five lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and several other ill individuals to the party, a release says.

“This is an example of how good contact tracing can identify disease clusters and tell us more about the spread of disease in our community,” said Dr. Matthew Feaster with the agency.

The health department warned that large gatherings of non-family members are still not allowed, despite other small changes to lockdown orders.

“Pasadena residents who stay home keep themselves and their loved ones protected from COVID-19,” said health officer Dr. Ying-Ying Goh in the release.

“The virus remains highly contagious,” Goh said, according to the release. “Social distancing, frequent hand washing, and wearing face coverings remain our best defenses against the further spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Pasadena is a city of 140,000 northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

More than 4 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 279,000 deaths as of May 10, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1.3 million confirmed cases with more than 78,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic. In the United States, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.

This story was originally published May 10, 2020 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Ill birthday party guest jokes about COVID-19 — and infects others, CA officials say."