Be careful what you wish for. That’s the lesson a group of young adults in Kentucky is learning firsthand after hosting an ill-advised “coronavirus party.” Though they believed they were “invincible,” at least one partygoer has tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed earlier this week. “This is one that makes me mad. We have to be much better than that,” the governor said. (Maybe someone should remind him that he is in Kentucky, and should lower his expectations accordingly.)
While misinformation that young people can’t get the novel coronavirus has been spreading as fast as the disease, emerging data have shown that young people are becoming infected. Twenty percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S. are between the ages of 20 and 44, the CDC reported last week. In New York, over half – 53 percent – of those infected are between 18 and 49 years of age. Feeling young and full of vigor is no excuse, either. Infected but asymptomatic Gen Zers and millennials can silently pass the virus on to others – hence the insistence by lawmakers and health experts on social distancing, even if you feel healthy.
But go ahead, party hard. Party to the death if you must. If you’re stupid enough to not only expose yourself to a potentially fatal virus, but to celebrate while doing so, you probably deserve what’s coming to you.
Cover Photo: Flashpop (Getty Images)
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