Following some US citizens’ refusal to obey Covid-19 measures, it was discovered that several college students in an Alabama city organised “Covid-19” parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first.
Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus. That’s not it! All the invited guests of the party put money in a pot and whoever gets COVID 19 first gets the pot.
“They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense,” McKinstry said. “They’re intentionally doing it.”
The department initially thought the parties were rumours, but Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith said after some research, officials discovered the parties were real.
Prior to this too, students in Walla Walla conducted similar Covid-19 parties, thinking they would be infected with coronavirus and become immune!
As per a CNN report, many Americans believe that it is better to get infected with the virus and get it over with to faster reach herd immunity. Herd immunity is an epidemiological concept that describes the state at which the virus becomes less of a threat because the majority of the population has become immune to it.
However, the logic is flawed as herd immunity best comes from a vaccine. More so, even if one develops immunity, it might not last forever and could wane over time. Also, not to forget that these youngsters might spread the disease to old and vulnerable people, further worsening the crisis.
Experts have warned against following the trend and said more and more Covid-19 cases would overburden health system and hospitals, resulting in more deaths.
The contagion has so far killed more than 127,000 people in the United States.