Man, 30, Dies After Attending a ‘Covid Party,’ Texas Hospital Says

Some health experts and public officials have cast doubt over whether or to what extent “Covid parties” are really happening. County health officials in southeastern Washington State reported in May that they had evidence that at least two coronavirus cases were linked to one or more so-called Covid-19 parties, then quickly reversed themselves, saying that the parties may have been more innocent gatherings.

Before there was a chickenpox vaccine, people hosted chickenpox parties to infect their children with the disease, as it was thought to be more dangerous to contract as an adult.

The vaccine is the safest way to protect against chickenpox now that it is available, though some, including former Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky, still allowed their children to participate in such gatherings to contract the illness.

The coronavirus does not behave like the chickenpox, Dr. Glatter said, and parties for either virus should not be held.

In Alabama, reports that students were gathering to bet on who could get infected with the virus first — with the sickened winner taking home a pot of money — led to warnings from the University of Alabama to students about the parties’ risks, though the events could not be confirmed by state health officials.

The United States recently hit a record number of new cases per day, with over 68,000 confirmed cases on Friday.

Being infected by the coronavirus has yet to be proved to provide immunity, so reinfection is still possible.