Even though the number of detected cases of COVID-19 has been declining since the end of July, the coronavirus still poses a serious threat to the nation’s health. Almost 200,000 people have died from complications caused by the virus in the United States. Nearly 7 million cases of infection have been officially recorded across the globe. The observed fatality rate is 3%. There are presently more than 2.5 million active cases worldwide.
Unfortunately, many young people do not take the risks of COVID-19 seriously. To top it off, catching the virus seems to be a good enough reason for them to organize these parties. The first COVID parties took place in Washington in the spring of 2020 and then spread across the country like a viral infection. Organizers intentionally invite people with COVID-19. All participants put money into a pot, after which they communicate closely at the party all night trying to get infected. Whoever contracts COVID-19 first wins the money.
Some come to these parties for the thrill; others enjoy gambling and hope to get rich quickly. And some people dismiss the risk of COVID-19 or believe it to be a hoax altogether. A 30-year-old Texan who contracted the virus at a COVID party belonged to the latter group. He reportedly told nurses before he died, “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”
The problem is that COVID parties are growing in popularity with young people and students. Due to their age and inexperience, they underestimate the risks of coronavirus. Thinking of it to be highly exaggerated by the media, they keep interacting with many peers every day. As a result, everyone at the COVID party becomes walking biological weapons, accelerating the virus’s spread.
The number of visitors at COVID parties is not controlled in any way: it can be a private party for a dozen friends or be an event for hundreds of people. At any rate, each of these gatherings becomes an epidemic hotbed, and all its participants not only expose themselves to unjustified risks but threaten hundreds and thousands of people with who they will come in contact in the future.
