40 Family Members COVID+, Child Hospitalized, After Symptomatic Woman Attends West Virginia Funeral

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch reports:

More than 40 members of a family tested positive for coronavirus after an infected relative from another state attended a funeral. Polly Williams, who resides on Jenny’s Creek in Wayne County, West Virginia, was saddened to hear of the death June 30 of her relative who lived in Alabama. Little did she realize the circumstances surrounding the funeral would change her life — and the lives of over 40 family members — in a manner in which they had never imagined in their worst nightmares.

The church where the services were held, according to Williams, is undergoing sterilization. Williams and her family, who extend into Mingo County, West Virginia, and parts of Kentucky, are being closely monitored by local health departments and their physicians. Each quarantined at home, and several received medical treatment due to worsening conditions. The latest victim, a 2-year-old girl, was diagnosed Sunday night after being taken to a Huntington hospital with a high fever.

The Daily Mail reports:

One of the attendees, Williams learned, would be traveling in from Arizona to be with the family and assist them with funeral arrangements. What she wasn’t told, however, was that the attendee’s husband and son – who didn’t make the trip – had tested positive for coronavirus days before she arrived and she too was exhibiting symptoms.

‘My relative from out-of-state wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t think a lot about it,’ Williams told the Mountain Citizen, declining to identify the relative by name. ‘I figured she was tired from her flight and lack of sleep. She never said one word about fearing her illness was something serious.’

Unaware of the seriousness of her relative’s condition, Williams said none of her family members wore masks either before the funeral, during the service, or at the wake.

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