More than a dozen people who attended a large family party in Northern California later tested positive for the coronavirus, a private gathering that state officials say is just one of many contributing to the record surge in new Covid-19 infections.
The party, which took place earlier this month in Shasta County, near the Oregon border, resulted in 13 family members becoming infected with the virus.
In the days following the party, a man in his 20s tested positive on June 14, followed by 11 more people on June 19 and one more on June 21, according to the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency. Health officials had advised 20 people to self-quarantine after the party.
A majority of the 13 family members who tested positive for the virus were experiencing symptoms, the health agency said, and ranged in age from a teenage girl to a woman in her 60s.
The party is just one of several that has resulted in attendees later testing positive for the virus. At another recent gathering in the county, a graduation party, at least four of the 11 people who attended later tested positive for Covid-19, said Shasta County Health Officer Dr. Karen Ramstrom.
“If you’re getting together with others make sure you’re limiting the numbers, preferably your close social circles,” Ramstrom said at a briefing Wednesday. “This really can impact even those that we are close to and we love.”
The spread of the illness among family members and friends comes as California sees an increase in the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus, and a record number of patients being treated in hospitals and intensive care units.