(CNN) – A Southern California man who tested positive for coronavirus after attending a party expressed his fear and regret the day before he died.
Thomas Macías, 51, went to a barbecue last month near his community on Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles from Los Angeles.
Soon after the party, he began to feel sick. On June 20, he posted a poignant message on Facebook to warn loved ones about the risks of the virus, his family said.
“I went out a couple of weeks ago … because of my stupidity I endangered the health of my mother and my sisters and my family,” he wrote. “This has been a very painful experience. This is not a joke. If you have to go out, wear a mask and practice social distancing. … Hopefully with God’s help, I can survive this. “
He never did. He died a day after that post.
A friend attended the party while he was sick
Macías worked as a trucker and suffered from diabetes, which made him especially vulnerable to the virus. Doctors have said that people with underlying conditions like diabetes, chronic lung disease, and asthma are at increased risk.
Before the barbecue, he was barely out, his brother-in-law Gustavo López told CNN. But he was incredibly social and felt isolated, and decided to visit his friends when the state lifted some restrictions, he added.
“Wherever I went I made friends instantly,” Lopez said. “He missed his friends and he missed his family. So as soon as some of the restrictions were lifted, he felt free and unfortunately he went to this meeting to be with his friends and then this was the result. “
A friend who was at the party contacted Macías to tell him that he had coronavirus, and he was aware of the diagnosis when he attended the meeting, but did not think he could infect anyone because he had no symptoms, López said.
“We understand that a gentleman had called him and said ‘hey, he was at the party, he knew it was positive. I didn’t tell anyone,'” López said. “I think the gentleman was sorry he hadn’t told everyone, and he was calling the people who were at the party to recommend that they get tested. “
Macías was upset but blamed himself for the judgment error, even using his Facebook post to warn friends about the dangers of the virus. About a dozen people who attended the party tested positive, López said.
“I was primarily concerned that he might have infected one of us,” his niece, Danielle López, told CNN on Friday. “The family meant everything to him, he put the family above everything.”
Macías was tested on June 15, had a positive result on June 18, and died on June 21. The Riverside County Office of Vital Records confirmed that he died of coronavirus.
Riverside County has more than 18,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and around 460 deaths. It has the second highest number of cases in the state after Los Angeles County.
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