A California man has revealed that 28 members of his family have tested positive for the coronavirus, including his dad who passed away a week ago, just before father’s Day.
Richard Garay told KTLA that he was the first in his family to be infected with COVID-19 last month.
Shortly after his diagnosis, 27 others in his family, including his 60-year-old father, Vidal Garay, became sick.
‘It went from running nose to headache to full-blown fever,’ Garay said.
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Richard Garay (pictured) said he was the first in his family to be infected with COVID-19 last month
Shortly after his diagnosis, 27 others in his family (pictured), including his 60-year-old father, Vidal Garay, became sick
Garay (right) said his condition worsened while his father’s (center) health was also declining
Garay said his condition worsened while his father’s health was also declining.
‘I looked at my father and told my father, “Dad, I don’t think I’m going to make it,”‘ he said.
‘Unfortunately, those were my last words to my father, and that’s the last thing my father saw of me,’ Garay told KTLA.
Garay’s father died just a day before Father’s Day and a month after celebrating his 60th birthday.
While it’s unclear how exactly the family members contracted the illness, Garay says they believe it was through contact with one another.
A video clip from KTLA shows Vidal with family members around his birthday in May.
‘I don’t want my father’s death to be in vain,’ he said. ‘I want people to understand coronavirus is a real thing.’
Most of Garay’s family members have recovered from the virus.
The Garay family is now raising money on GoFundMe to pay for Vidal’s funeral expenses.
‘He was a fighter, a role model, and never quit,’ Vidal’s family wrote on the site.
‘I looked at my father and told my father, “Dad, I don’t think I’m going to make it,”‘ he said. ‘Unfortunately, those were my last words to my father, and that’s the last thing my father saw of me,’ Garay said. Garay’s father, Vidal (pictured), died just a day before Father’s Day
Most of Garay’s family members have recovered from the virus. The Garay family is now raising money on GoFundMe to pay for Vidal’s funeral expenses. Vidal is pictured with his wife Norma and their three grandchildren
In addition to his wife, Vidal (second from right) leaves behind, his three adult children, Juan, Richard and Benjamin (pictured) as well as three grand children with a fourth soon to be born
‘We are all heart broken by Vidal’s loss and were not prepared for the high cost of a funeral service. We want to give Vidal the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes,’ the family added.
Vidal leaves behind his wife of 34 years Norma, his three children, Juan, Richard and Benjamin as well as three grand children with a fourth soon to be born.
The state of California is one of several states that is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
More than 2,500,000 infections have been recorded in America, making up a quarter of the world’s almost 10 million cases, according to a John Hopkins University tally – as fears grow that the worst is yet to come for several states.
There are more than 2.5 million coronavirus cases in the US with 125,000 deaths
The US recorded more than 45,000 new infections Saturday, setting a dismal new daily record for confirmed cases since the outbreak first touched down on US soil.
In Los Angeles County, health officials warned on Saturday that the state is facing a ‘critical moment’ for the pandemic and that reopening plans could also be in jeopardy if the current trends in cases continue.
‘If we can’t find it in us to follow these mandates, including wearing face coverings and distancing when around others, we jeopardize our ability to move forward on the recovery journey,’ Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said.
‘Our collective responsibility is to take immediate action, as individuals and businesses, to reverse the trends we are experiencing.’
Her remarks came after California reported 2,169 new coronavirus cases.
