The family of a Lake Elsinore man says he died of COVID-19 after going to a party and becoming infected, and he even posted about feeling sick on social media, saying he regretted going to the meeting.
Tommy Macías went to a party with friends a few weeks ago, then received a phone call from one of those friends saying he tested positive for COVID19, and everyone should be tested.
A few days later, Macías died in the hospital.
Laughing and being silly is how the Macías family says they want to remember him.
“He was just a fun-loving person. He loved teasing people. He loved joking about everything,” said his niece, Danielle López.
Her uncle posted on Facebook days before his death saying that he contracted the coronavirus after leaving and that he was concerned about endangering the rest of his family’s health.
The 51-year-old man attended a party at Lake Elsinore after being quarantined for months.
“It was only a moment for him. Because things were getting so much more forgiving, he hadn’t seen his friends for so long, he thought things were getting better and decided to go see them and so quickly they took it away from us,” she said.
Macías began to feel sick and thought it was a problem with his diabetes, but last Sunday he had respiratory problems and was rushed to the hospital.
He was intubated and put on a ventilator, but he died two hours later.
“We wish we had told him how much we love him. And we could say goodbye,” said Lopez.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise and many counties make adjustments to the reopening process, López said he wants everyone to know how devastating the virus really can be.
“You can’t just assume you’re okay. You need to take that extra precaution to protect everyone around you. It seems like it should be common sense and common courtesy not to unknowingly cause this harm to other people,” he said. .
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