Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

A Man With The Coronavirus Hugged People At A Funeral And A Birthday Party. Three Of Them Died.

A federal report details how a potential "super-spreading event" in Chicago likely infected 15 people at two family gatherings, three of whom died of COVID-19.
In February, a Chicago man hugged members of a grieving family at a funeral and shared meals with them. A few days later, he attended a birthday party, where he hugged and shared food with members of another family.

With these friendly gestures at family gatherings, the man - who later tested positive for COVID-19 - unwittingly infected as many as 15 other people with the virus before social distancing measures were implemented in Illinois and other states in the US.

Three of those people died of the virus.

The chain of transmission triggered by the man - who had had mild respiratory symptoms at the time he attended the funeral and party - was detailed in a report released by the CDC on Wednesday.

The report highlighted the dangerous potential of a "super-spreading event" and showed how extended family gatherings might have facilitated the transmission of COVID-19 "beyond household contacts and into the broader community."

The patients in this multifamily cluster in Chicago were between the ages of 5 and 86 years old. They came into contact with each other at the funeral, the birthday, and a church service.

The three patients who died were over the age of 60, and all three had at least one underlying cardiovascular or respiratory medical condition, the report said.

The CDC said the findings in this tragic case illustrate how important social distancing is to preventing the spread of COVID-19, even within families.

The evening before the funeral in February, the Chicago man shared a three-hour takeout meal, eaten from common serving dishes, with two family members of the deceased at their home.

The man (referred to as "an index patient" in the report) was the grieving family's close friend. He had recently traveled out of state and was experiencing mild respiratory symptoms at the time. He was only tested later as part of the broader epidemiological investigation and was then diagnosed with COVID-19.

The next day, at the two-hour funeral, the man shared a potluck meal with other attendees and hugged at least four members of the grieving family to express his condolences. These four people developed symptoms of COVID-19 within six days of the funeral.

One of them was hospitalized, required "endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure," and died.

Before the person died, they were visited in the hospital by a family member who had also been in close physical contact with the index patient at the funeral.

That family member embraced their COVID-19–infected relative in the hospital ward and took care of the patient without wearing personal protective equipment. Three days after that visit, the person developed COVID-19 symptoms, including a fever and a cough.

The index patient, who was still experiencing mild respiratory symptoms, then attended a birthday party with nine members of another family, three days after he attended the funeral.

At the three-hour party, the man hugged and shared food with the other guests. Seven of the guests developed COVID-19 within a week.

Five of them experienced mild symptoms, including a cough and a low-grade fever. Two others were hospitalized, required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, and died.

A family member and a home care professional who took care of one of the party guests who died also probably developed COVID-19, the report said. The other party guest who died likely transmitted the virus to a household contact who had not attended the birthday party.

Three symptomatic birthday party attendees with probable cases of COVID-19 then attended a church service, six days after they developed their first symptoms.

They conversed with and passed the offering plate to another church attendee who was sitting in the same row for 90 minutes. That church attendee, a health care professional, was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The index patient "was apparently able to transmit infection to 10 other persons, despite having no household contacts and experiencing only mild symptoms for which medical care was not sought," the report said.

It's not yet clear how common this type of transmission has been during the current pandemic, the report noted.

"Super-spreading events have played a significant role in transmission of other recently emerged coronaviruses," the report said, but added that their relevance to COVID-19 spread is "debated."

The most notable "super-spreading event" likely occurred at a choir practice in Washington state when at least 45 of 60 singers were either diagnosed with COVID-19 or showed symptoms. In another potential super-spreading case, a New York lawyer was connected to one of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 cases that developed in New Rochelle.

Dr. Mark Dworkin, an epidemiology professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, noted that it was important not to refer to people as "super-spreaders" but to instead acknowledge how funerals and birthday parties are the kinds of events that allow for super-spreading.

These events include a close congregation of people who are socially and physically more familiar with each other, Dworkin told BuzzFeed News.

At a family event, "it's kiss, kiss, kiss, hug, hug, hug," with people sitting inches away from each other, he said.

The authors of the CDC report said their findings highlighted the importance of adhering to current social distancing recommendations.

Eight states have not yet issued stay-at-home orders, and those that have are forced to remind residents to take social distancing measures seriously. As of Wednesday, Illinois has reported 15,078 positive cases and 462 people have died. Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order in the state on March 20.

While the Chicago cluster occurred before social distancing measures were implemented, Dworkin said he could not fault authorities for introducing them at a time when community spread of the disease was already evident across the US.

He said that the current stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures were at that time considered "really super-extreme thing to do."

"It's really hard to pull off a recommendation to the public like that if you don't have evidence of why it's absolutely necessary," he said. And how much evidence the general public needs "right in front of them to buy into these extreme recommendations varies from population to population and from culture to culture," Dworkin said.

He called the Chicago cluster a tragedy that shows how "the virus is taking advantage of our positive behaviors" when it comes to celebrating milestones, supporting loved ones, or turning to faith.

"It's really sad that such events need to be curtailed at a time in order to promote our health," Dworkin said. "But we need to remember this is temporary. We need to be patient. The more we accept and are patient with this evolving science, the more successful we will be."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×