Texas patient in 30s dies after reportedly citing ‘mistake’ of attending ‘covid party’

DALLAS — A 30-something patient has died from the coronavirus after reportedly attending a “covid party” and ultimately telling their nurse they had acted in error, San Antonio’s WOAI-TV reported.

“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,’” Dr. Jane Appleby said in a video posted by the news station.

Appleby, chief medical officer of the city’s Methodist Hospital, said she made the case public to make younger people aware that they are not immune.

“It doesn’t discriminate, and none of us are invincible,” she said. “This virus is very serious and can spread easily.”

“Covid parties” are get-togethers involving a person who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, with attendees supposedly gathering as a dare. Whether such parties actually exist has been questioned, but “the thought is to see if the virus is real and to see if anyone gets infected,” Appleby said.

In this case, she said, the patient became critically ill and uttered the tragic statement shortly before dying.