Yikes! Teen Spreads COVID-19 to Nearly a Dozen Relatives at Family Gathering

10.16.20
Yikes! Teen Spreads COVID-19 to Nearly a Dozen Relatives at Family Gathering (Photo: Getty Images/Alexi Rosenfeld)

A 13-year-old girl infected 11 relatives with the coronavirus within a two-month period across four states, according to a study recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The outbreak occurred during a three-week family gathering with five households across Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in June and July.

The teen was exposed to the virus in June. Four days after exposure she tested negative. She began experiencing her only symptom, nasal congestion, two days later. On the same day, the girl and her family traveled to the gathering with more than a dozen other relatives ranging from ages 9 to 72, according to the report.

No one wore face masks or practiced social distancing throughout the gathering, the CDC said. 

The CDC stresses that children are capable of being the primary contact for COVID-19 outbreaks, even with few or mild symptoms.

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