US man dies after attending COVID-19 party

Dr Jane Appleby
Dr Jane Appleby Photo credit: Twitter

A man in the US who attended a COVID-19 party thinking the virus was a hoax has died after he became infected. 

His last words to the nurse at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio Texas were: "I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it's not."

Dr Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at the hospital said in a recorded statement the unnamed patient who was in his 30s told a nurse the COVID-19 parties were held by someone who had tested positive to see if the virus was real. 

The patient became critically ill and died last week. 

Dr Appleby said she was sharing the story to raise awareness about COVID-19 as Bexar County, where the hospital is, has seen a spike in cases recently. 

She said the rate of positive tests is 22 per cent. 

"This is a concerning increase from a positive rate of about five per cent only several weeks ago," Dr Appleby said.