Alabama students hosting 'COVID parties' as contest to see who gets infected: Officials

While medical professionals around the world are overwhelmed with growing cases of coronavirus, college students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, have been throwing COVID-19 parties to see who can catch the virus first. A city council member told an American news channel on July 1 that students diagnosed with COVID-19 have been attending parties as a part of gambling contest.

City Councilor Sonya McKinstry told an American news channel about the disturbing game which was first reported by Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith at a pre-council meet on June 30. McKinstry said that organisers are intentionally inviting guests with COVID-19 to the parties where they put money in a pot and try to get infected from the contagion which has claimed over 127,000 lives in the United States alone.

“Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense," McKinstry said.

Smith reportedly briefed the City Council expressing concern over the parties being held throughout the city and surrounding Tuscaloosa County. He said that earlier officials thought of it as a rumour but after some research, the doctors, as well as the state, confirmed of having the same information.

Read: Rise In Coronavirus Cases Brings New Concerns In Alabama

No respite from rising cases

Last week, coronavirus cases across the globe reached a sombre mark of 10 million with deaths related to COVID-19 more than 516,000, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The United States, Brazil, and Russia are the worst-hit countries while India reporting a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases.

The United States has reported nearly 2.7 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, more than one-fourth of the total cases reported worldwide, and over 128,000 deaths related to it so far. Alabama has reported over 38,000 coronavirus cases and Tuscaloosa has now made it mandatory to wear face masks in public places. The number of coronavirus cases in Brazil has skyrocketed following gross neglect for COVID-19 measures by President Jair Bolsonaro and more than 60,000 people have lost their lives.

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