A man from Texas has died from coronavirus after attending a ‘Covid party’ and dubbing the virus a hoax.
The 30-year-old was admitted to Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio after his symptoms worsened.
According to the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr Jane Appleby, he had attended a party which was hosted by someone diagnosed with coronavirus.
“The thought is people get together to see if the virus is real and if anyone gets infected,” she said.
The unidentified man’s last words were: “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”
Upturn in deaths
The US has seen a long-expected upturn in deaths of late, driven by fatalities in states in the south and west of the country, new data shows.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily reported deaths in the US has increased from 578 two weeks ago to 664 on July 10.
California is averaging 91 reported deaths per day while Texas is close behind with 66, but Florida, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and South Carolina also saw sizeable rises.
The virus has killed more than 130,000 people in the US – the highest number in the world.
Republican
Earlier this month a former Republican presidential hopeful was hospitalised with coronavirus just hours after telling his half a million Twitter followers “people are fed up” with wearing masks.
Hermain Cain was at President Donald Trump’s June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many in the crowds were seen not wearing face masks or practicing social distancing.
Other attendees at the event later tested positive for the virus.
He also planned to join thousands of people for a July 3 celebration for Independence Day at Mount Rushmore, where attendees would not be required to wear face masks.
Hours before he was hospitalised, he tweeted:
Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!https://t.co/Oykdz4xThD
— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 1, 2020
Related: Almost 2,500 children hospitalised with malnutrition this year, data shows
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