Virginia family of 19 dealing with coronavirus in Manassas

MANASSAS, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Is it feeling cramped inside your house these days? Imagine having a household of 19 and getting hit with the coronavirus. That's what happened to the Lalli family in Manassas. They tell FOX 5 they feel like they’ve survived a war.  

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One couple and their eight kids live in the Manassas home, along with their parents and sister. That’s 13 people on a normal day. Then just before the pandemic hit, a brother, his wife, and their four kids moved in temporarily while their house was being built.  

Brian Lalli, 39, says when everyone started getting sick it just became survival mode. 

The family tells FOX 5 the first person became sick on Saint Patrick’s Day. After that, COVID-19 sent several of family members to the emergency room. Everyone in the home above age 10 got sick. The symptoms varied and lasted weeks. 

The matriarch of the family, 75-year-old Mary Lalli, remains in rehab at Virginia Hospital Center. She was sent there after several terrifying weeks at Inova Loudoun, she is no longer intubated and is finally believed to be on the mend.  

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Joe Lalli says not being able to be at his wife’s bedside has been excruciating, particularly because there was a time where it was hour-to-hour and the doctors weren’t sure she would survive. 

The Lallis say they will forever be thankful for the food, hundreds of prayers, and well wishes they received.