Man, 30, dies in Texas after attending 'Covid party' and calling virus a 'hoax'
A 30-year-old man died of coronavirus in Texas this week after attending a so-called "Covid party".
Dr Jane Appleby, chief medical officer for Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, said that the unidentified man’s last words were: “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it's not.”
In a recorded statement, Dr Appleby said that the patient told nurses about the party which she said was hosted by someone diagnosed with coronavirus.
“The thought is people get together to see if the virus is real and if anyone gets infected,” she said.
Dr Appleby decided to share the story to get the message across that the virus can affect anyone.
Data from San Antonio is in line with national trends that show increased numbers of younger people getting sick now compared to the initial wave where the average age of patients was older.
The most cases in the county were in people aged 20 to 29 (24 per cent of cases), and 30 to 39 (20 per cent of cases), according to the Bexar County Health Department.
Methodist Hospital is currently caring for several 20 to 30-year olds.
Dr Appleby said that while some patients can be treated and discharged, others become seriously ill and she wants everyone, especially young people, to realise that they are not invincible.
The health department has also recorded a jump in the rate of people testing positive for the virus, from 5 per cent several weeks ago to 22 per cent now.
San Antonio has recorded 18,602 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including an increase of 923 on Friday.
Dr Appleby encourages the public to wear masks, stay home as much as possible and avoid groups of people.
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