Somebody Was Infected With The Coronavirus After Attending A "Coronavirus Party" In Kentucky

"Don't be so callous as to intentionally go do something and expose yourself to something that can kill other people," Gov. Andy Beshear said. "We ought to be much better than that."

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Someone in Kentucky tested positive for the novel coronavirus after they attended a "coronavirus party" for people in their twenties, Gov. Andy Beshear said at a press conference Tuesday.

"Anyone who goes to something like this may think they're indestructible, but it's somebody else's loved one that they're going to hurt," Beshear said.

Beshear did not say when, where, or how many people attended what he called a "coronavirus party," but the governor criticized it as a "callous" act that could put people in grave danger.

"This is the part where I, the person that tells everyone to be calm, have to remain calm myself," he said. "This one makes me mad, and it should make you mad."

As he gave residents an update on the outbreak, Beshear took time to praise the actions of some in the community, such as a local university that donated protective equipment to medical personnel as well as local food service and bourbon companies that teamed up to make sanitizer for hospitals.

But the governor stopped during the middle of the press conference, warning people not to hold any more "coronavirus parties."

"We're battling for the health and even the lives of our parents and our grandparents, and don't be so callous as to intentionally go to something and expose yourself to something that can kill other people," he said. "We ought to be much better than that."

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Young people are less at risk of developing serious complications of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but they may still require hospitalization for serious symptoms. And even someone who only contracts a mild case of the disease can spread it to vulnerable people.

It’s also unclear how long someone who recovers from COVID-19 is immune to the virus. Scientists are continuing to study the new virus and how it affects people.

The infection was one of 39 new cases in Kentucky that were reported Tuesday. So far, the state has seen 163 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and Beshear said that, like other states, the number will likely increase.

Four people have died from COVID-19 in the state.

Beshear did not provide more details on what the motivations of the coronavirus party attendees were.

"This is one that I hope I never have to report on again," he said. "We should forgive this person, but no more of these anywhere — statewide — for any reason."

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