SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Officials at a hospital in Texas say a 30-year-old man has died after becoming infected with the coronavirus at a “COVID-19″ party, according to reports.
Dr. Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at Methodist Hospital, says in a video released by the hospital that the man attended a party hosted by a person who already was infected with the virus, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The identity of the man has not been released because of privacy laws, ABC News reports.
“I think I made a mistake,” the man told a nurse, according to Appleby. “I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”
Appleby did not share details on when and where the party took place, the New York Times reports. The Times says COVID parties are held as a test to see if the virus is real or as an attempt to gain immunity.
But Appleby says the story demonstrates that the virus can be dangerous to everyone, even younger people. Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, tells the Times the parties are “dangerous, irresponsible and potentially deadly.”
The Times also reports there are doubts on whether COVID parties really are happening and that the infections might be from ordinary gatherings.
Texas is battling a significant increase in coronavirus infections, with the state reporting more than 8,000 new cases on Sunday and 80 deaths, CBS News reports. More than 10,000 people are hospitalized.
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