That's not how life is played
Dave, 39, hopes to get the coronavirus as soon as possible. Since Christmas, he has frequently attended "new crown parties".
These parties have to pay for admission, and ticket prices vary. People do not need to show vaccinations or proof of past infection to enter. After entering, they hugged frequently, grabbed a glass of wine from the table and drank it.
In Tuscany, Italy, a "COVID-19 dinner" costs $150 (about 950 yuan). Truffles, Barolo wine and a promise are offered: "Stay at the table with confirmed COVID-19 patients to ensure infection".
"I'm a freelancer and my vacations are short." Dave told ABC News, "At Christmas and New Year's, most of my clients are on holiday. If I'm infected with COVID-19 now, I can start work when I recover. ”
According to ABC News, there are quite a few "coronavirus chasers" like Dave in Australia. They hope to be immunized by contracting the virus, which they say is conducive to "scheduling isolation and treatment time."
"I want to get infected and heal by late February." Mary, a 49-year-old wedding planner, said she planned to visit her daughter, who lives alone, these two days. The latter has just been diagnosed with COVID-19.
"It was a strategic visit." Mary said, "Omikeron spreads too fast. Judging by the news, sooner or later we will all be infected. It's better to arrange it properly and write it into the schedule. ”
In March 2020, former U.S. President Trump supporter Lucian Wintrich hosted a "coronavirus dinner" party at his home in New York, saying the idea was "inspired by chickenpox parties." /The New York Post
With Opichron becoming the dominant epidemic strain, new cases are "breaking records" every day in many countries around the world.
Janet Woodcock, acting director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), predicted at a Senate hearing on Jan. 11 that most Americans will eventually be infected with the new crown virus.
Fast forward, in December 2021, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus repeatedly said there was "consistent evidence" that Omilon was spreading faster than Delta, and that people who had been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 were likely to be infected or reinfected.
Subsequently, some posts appeared on social media saying that "active infection can end the epidemic". The advice they give is "unprotected, more contact with confirmed patients".
ABC News interviews found that many people have similar "active infection" programs. Respondents did not agree to appear on camera under their real names, fearing that they would be fined for violating epidemic prevention rules.
"It's unclear how common this practice is." Stuart Tver, associate professor of immunovirology at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said "active infection" was tantamount to "learning to swim in a crocodile pond".
"People want to be infected with the mutant strain, Aomikron, and feel that the symptoms are mild and the recovery is fast. But what if you encounter another more poisonous mutant strain? Stuart Tver said.
A few days ago, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly spoke out condemning the "new crown party". He noted that Omi kerong was at risk of re-infection and that those who actively became infected were "ridiculous and stupid."
Image from ABC News
The United States, Italy, Austria...
"Coronavirus parties" are popping up everywhere
In April 2020, the New York Times published an article saying that it is not excluded that some people take advantage of opportunities such as rallies to deliberately contract the disease in order to obtain covid-19 immunity as soon as possible.
In July of the same year, San Antonio Methodist Hospital in Texas said it was treating a 30-year-old COVID-19 patient. "He thought the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax, deliberately attended a party, and as a result, he was infected with the virus and died."
The United States also appeared "new crown party" upgraded version: "new crown roulette".
Sonia McKinstrey, a government official in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, told the media that there are local college students who hold parties and deliberately invite positive COVID-19 people to participate, "The gamble is to see who is the first to be infected with the new crown virus." The winner takes all the bets. ”
The city's fire chief, Randy Smith, corroborated this claim. Meanwhile, the University of Alabama, based in the city, issued a statement saying it had taken note of reports and "hoped that students would protect their own health, their campus and others in the city."
The New York Times has questioned that the "new crown party" and "new crown betting" may be false rumors, and there is not enough evidence that the participants are "deliberately and actively" infected with the new crown virus.
On 30 April 2021, thousands of young people partyed at a nightclub in Liverpool, England. This is a TEST of COVID-19 transmission supported by the UK government to assess whether mass activities can be restarted. /REUTERS
Not just the United States. Forbes reported that in September 2021, there was a "new crown party" in the town of Edson, Alberta, Canada, with an unknown number of participants. Some of the infected people were transferred to intensive care due to their serious illness.
Local media said that before the gathering, some participants posted on social media, saying that "the purpose is to infect the new crown to achieve immunity." "I feel angry and frustrated. Alberta is struggling to fight the epidemic and bed shortages. They are still adding to the chaos at this time. Alan Schwartz, a clinician and epidemiologist at the University of Alberta, said.
In November 2021, Austrian media outlet Kleine Zeitung quoted doctors as saying that there were "new coronavirus parties" in some small towns in Styria.
The Austrian media newspaper The Crown described the "coronavirus party" as a "candy party". That is, the confirmed person licks a bite of candy and then passes it on to others present.
The Italian media "Veneto Post" also mentioned the "new crown party" in an article. The article quoted multiple medical staff as saying that more than one patient admitted to "actively seeking infection."
The newspaper interviewed independent photographer Andrea Pizzini. The latter traveled to the intensive care units of several hospitals, taking a large number of photos and videos.
Pizzini said that healthy people gather and eat with covid-19 positives in order to get infected and thus get a green pass. These people called this a "planned infection." They believe that they will only have mild symptoms and will be cured quickly.
The green pass is a public place prevention measure that the Italian government began to impose in October 2021. The pass will indicate whether the holder has been vaccinated or has recovered from COVID-19 infection, and whether there is a negative test result for the virus.
Italian media L'Occhio reported that a "covid-19 party" somewhere in Bolzano, Italy, led to at least 3 hospitalizations, including a child. One of the 55-year-old men died of severe illness.
In October 2021, a massive demonstration took place in Rome, Italy, to protest the government's implementation of the "Green Pass." /AP
"It's playing with fire"
Forbes magazine published Robert Grott, M.D., in a popular science op-ed titled "Why You Shouldn't Go to a 'COVID-19 Party.'" The article said that the logic of some people organizing "new crown parties" is similar to the "chicken pox parties" in those years.
In the 1990s, in many countries in Europe and the United States, some parents organized and held "chickenpox parties" to deliberately let healthy children play with children with chickenpox in order to infect chickenpox, gain immunity, and avoid the risk of more serious and fatal complications of infection in adulthood.
In addition to the "chicken pox party", there have also been activities such as "measles party" and "flu party" in Europe and the United States.
"For more than a century, people who deny science and don't believe in vaccine efficacy have been doing this." Rena McKintel, an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said, "It's playing with fire. ”
Another identity of Rena McIntyre is that of a global biosafety expert. She said that many people actively infected Omikerong because some experts said that this variant strain is milder, although the risk of transmission is high, but the risk of severe illness after infection is low and immunity is stronger.
"People may misunderstand the meaning of 'more moderate'. For those who are not vaccinated or do not do enough, the prognosis of infection with Omicron may be better than that of Delta, but there is still a risk of severe illness and death. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group and editor-in-chief of Vaccine magazine, explains.
The US medical website WebMD said that the new crown virus can spread from the respiratory tract to the heart, brain and almost every organ system in the human body in a few days, and may stay for several months. This leads to respiratory failure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, chest tightness and dyspnea.
The latest us disease control study also found that children are at higher risk of developing diabetes in the long term after contracting the new crown.
"Our understanding of Aumilon is still insufficient. But not everyone will be infected, wearing masks, vaccination boosters are still effective means of epidemic prevention. Gregory Poland stressed.
In June 2021, about 1,500 people in Brittany, France, violated epidemic prevention regulations and held a large party. When the police were driving away, clashes broke out with the population. /AFP
For now, many countries have said they will crack down organizers and participants of such parties.
According to Italy's Sky News, the Prosecutor's Office in Bolzano, Italy, has launched an investigation into the "coronavirus party.". Once it is discovered that there is deliberate dissemination of COVID-19, the relevant personnel may face prosecution. Under Italy's national emergency law, it is considered a crime to deliberately spread the coronavirus.
The Swiss Federal Public Health Office confirmed that the deliberate spread of the new crown virus, infection, or the risk of imprisonment of up to 5 years. In Austria, the offences in question may be punishable by imprisonment for up to 3 years.