coronavirus

3rd Winter Party Attendee Dies of Coronavirus

Thom Carr, 67, is the third man who attended the weeklong festival on Miami Beach who has died of COVID-19.

NBC Universal, Inc.

A man who attended Winter Party Festival has died of coronavirus after spending weeks in the ICU.

Thom Carr's husband, J. Heider, confirmed his death Wednesday in a Facebook post.

"It is with overwhelming sadness that I share that our journey together has come to an end," Heider wrote.

Carr, 67, is the third man who attended the weeklong festival on Miami Beach who has died of COVID-19.

Heider told NBC 6 back in March that Carr was in critical condition on a ventilator.

"I think that we were operating under the guidance of our leadership at that time, the president, the governor, other people were saying go about your lives, live your lives. At that time they were saying it's no worse than the flu," Heider said.

Ron Rich, a festival volunteer, died last month after he was tested positive for the virus. Days before, another attendee, 40-year-old Israel Carrera, also died of COVID-19.

The Winter Party Festival, an annual, weeklong LGBTQ event, drew thousands from across the country. After it ended March 10, several attendees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to festival organizers.

Event organizers noted that educational posters were placed throughout the venue while 10,000 hand sanitizers were handed out to partygoers.

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