The ever increasing cases of coronavirus aren’t stopping people from neglecting the gravity of the situation. A young 30-year old man died from the infection after attending a party of a positive covid-19 patient thinking the hullabaloo to be untrue. The man had said that he believed the virus to be a hoax.
The doctor, who was treating the man, disclosed that he was a part of a “covid-19” party thrown by an infected patient. He highlighted the need for young people to realize the grim situation and risk posed as the virus is equally infectious and deadly for them.
Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, said the man thought the virus was a hoax, despite it killing more than 135,000 people in the United States so far. The patients kept giving fuel to the false belief that the infection couldn’t kill youngsters.
“Someone will be diagnosed with the disease, and they’ll have a party to invite their friends over to see if they can beat the disease,” Appleby said in a video broadcast by US media on Sunday.
She mentioned one specific tragic phrase the patient told to his nurse that was, “You know, I think I made a mistake,” referring to his fault of considering the virus to be a hoax and not taking it seriously.
“He thought the disease was a hoax. He thought he was young and invincible and wouldn’t get affected by the disease,” said Appleby.
She urged youngsters to take proper care and precautions and the virus isn’t sparing any age-group. She said people who are younger do not quite realize how grim the situation is, they believe they are immune to viruses as they aren’t elderly. Appleby said these people don’t often know how unwell they are unless otherwise proven by a test. A thorough test and oxygen level check will then speak about the deteriorating health condition of the person.
“They don’t look really sick. But when you check their oxygen levels and their lab tests, they’re really sicker than they appear,” she said. Hence, she called onto young people to consider this and not make a joke out of the extremely sensitive situation.
Moreover, amid the already growing tensions due to the pandemic in the US, its President Donald Trump has decided to reopen all educational institutions. He even threatened the schools to cease their funding if they don’t abide by the policies put forth by his administration.
“Kids need to get back to school, they need to get back in the classroom,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told CNN, while acknowledging that local conditions should be taken into account. “Families need for kids to get back in the classroom. And it can be done safely.”
The United States has added more than 56,000 new coronavirus cases, including at least 15,000 in the state of Florida, pushing the nationwide total to 3.3 million cases, with more than 135,000 deaths.
