A birthday party was reported to be the reason behind the cluster of COVID-19 cases in Pasadena, California, according to health officials.

The Pasadena Public Health Department also said via a news release that a large number of friends and extended family members were at the said party. 

The department added that the event occurred after the city's issuance of the 'stay-at-home' directive in March.

A health official claimed that one patient at the gathering was coughing and was not wearing a face mask to cover her face. More so, they said, the other guests at the party were not covering their face as well, or even practicing social distancing. 


Jokes About Having COVID-19, A Selfish Behavior

According to Lisa Derderian, Pasadena spokeswoman, the said coughing person in question even joked with the other guests at the party saying she may have COVID-19, which later on turned out to be true.

Derderian described what the woman showed as "a selfish behavior," which could have been preempted. 

Through contact tracing, officials investigating the case were able to validate five cases of COVID-19 traced to the birthday party, and they were all residents of Pasadena.

However, they still think that about five or six more guests at the party who reside outside Pasadena may have also been infected as they showed symptoms of the virus, as well.

Because of this, these people should quarantine and eventually undergo a COVID-19 test.


Importance and Effectiveness of Contact Tracing

An epidemiologist with the health department, Dr. Matthew Feaster, said, the department's initiative "is an example of how good contact tracing can determine illness clusters and tell us more about their spread in the community."

As of this writing, over 66,500 people have been affected by COVID-19 in California, with more than 2,600 dead, the Johns Hopkins University said. 

Moreover, California was the first in the United States to execute a "stay-at-home" order for over 40 million locals on March 19, shutting down nonessential services and urging the residents to maintain social distancing and stay home.

The officials of Pasadena came out with a similar directive. With this, essential businesses that remain operational should strictly follow the social distancing order by keeping people six feet apart and providing access to hand-washing, among other requirements.

Currently, California is in the middle of a phased reopening and permitted some companies like manufacturers, warehouses, and retailers to restart operations starting Friday.

Additionally, gyms, malls, restaurants, particularly those offering dine-in services, bars, and salons, remain closed.

According to the director and health officer, Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, even though they are "moving forward with minor modifications to the Safer at Home Order," get-togethers of people who do not reside in the same home are still not allowed.

Lastly, the health official added that COVID-19 continues to be highly contagious, and thus, frequent hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing face mask stay "our best defenses from the further contagion of the COVID-19 in the community."


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