Ross: If you want COVID-19 ‘parties,’ stay away from the rest of us

Here’s a headline in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin: “COVID parties hurt everyone.”

The story describes an interview with a local health official who claimed that two residents of Walla Walla County in Washington state – who tested positive for the virus – had picked it up at a party where about 20 healthy people deliberately mingled with an infected person, hoping to get some immunity.

It wasn’t clear how they went about doing that, but the story raced across the internet. There were comparisons to the chicken pox parties of a generation ago. There were condemnations from health officials about what a stupid idea this is.

But now, the local health department has retracted the story, saying the party was not an intentional infection party, just a party which infected people happened to attend.

Those two people who tested positive after the party are reportedly fine and never had to go to the hospital. We don’t know how many other people they may have infected. But as of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed COVID cases in Walla Walla County was only 94, with zero deaths.

So happy ending. But just one request: I would suggest that if people want to continue to party, they at least wear a t-shirt that says “I CONTINUE TO PARTY,” so that people like myself who don’t want to share their little invisible door prize at least have fair warning.

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