TheCable

A 30-year-old man, who believed coronavirus is a hoax, has died from the disease.

The deceased had attended a “COVID party” in the United States.

A COVID party is a gathering to test whether the virus exists or to intentionally expose people to the disease.

The victim was said to have attended a gathering with an infected person.

Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, where the man died, had said he realised and confessed his mistake to the nurse treating him before he died.

“Just before the patient died, they looked at their nurse and said ‘I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not’,” Appleby said.

“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.

“He thought the disease was a hoax. He thought he was young and invincible and wouldn’t get affected by the disease.”

The doctor said she was spurred to reveal the case after seeing a “concerning” rise in infections in the state.

“I don’t want to be an alarmist, and we’re just trying to share some real-world examples to help our community realise that this virus is very serious and can spread easily,” she was quoted to have said.

Appleby, who noted that a broader age range is being affected, with several 20 and 30-year-olds critically ill at the Methodist hospital, said a lot of young patients do not often realise “how sick they are” and advised people to take the risks seriously.

She said: “They don’t look really sick. But when you check their oxygen levels and their lab tests, they’re really sicker than they appear.

“Please wear a mask, stay at home when you can, avoid groups of people, and sanitise your hands.”

The US has the highest confirmed cases of COVID-19 and fatalities globally.

According to Worldometres, 3,430,726 cases have been recorded in the country with 572,831 deaths.