A fourth member of the same family has died of coronavirus after contracting it at a family dinner, according to reports.
As per Metro, 53-year-old Vincent Fusco passed away at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, New Jersey on Thursday.
Vincent’s cousin and lawyer representing the family, Roseann Paradiso Fodera, said he is the fourth member of the family to succumb to coronavirus within the past week.
Vincent’s death comes reportedly one day after his mom, Grace Fusco, 73, died from coronavirus at the same hospital. His brother, Carmine, also died early Wednesday morning at a hospital in Pennsylvania, while his sister, Rita Fusco-Jackson died last Friday.
In a tragic turn, it appears the Fusco family contracted the virus on mass at a family dinner on March 3. Vincent believed he had the flu and was admitted to hospital on March 9.
The family’s mother, Grace, and her children, Carmine, Rita, Antonia, Joseph and Maria were all admitted to hospital with the same symptoms a day later. All told, 20 members of the family underwent testing. Four were later in critical condition.
As yet it remains unclear as to why this particular family were so badly affected. Paradiso Fodera told PEOPLE that none of them had underlying health issues.
“No one ever expected a family of 11 children to be decimated like this,” she said. “We have a long way to go.”
I can’t imagine the sense of loss this poor family must be feeling right now.
Share this article to keep them in your thoughts and prayers moving forward. Together, we will get through these trying times.