--- title: "College Kids Are Apparently Playing a Game Where They Try to Catch COVID [UPDATED]" description: "At \"COVID parties,\" college students in Alabama are reportedly trying to catch COVID — and win a cash prize for doing so." date: "2020-07-02" modified: "2020-07-03" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/college-kids-playing-game-catch-covid" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "education" - "health" --- # College Kids Are Apparently Playing a Game Where They Try to Catch COVID \[UPDATED\] ![At "COVID parties," college students in Alabama are reportedly trying to catch the deadly coronavirus — and win a cash prize for doing so.]() *\Image: Jason Meredith via Flickr\* **Update: A number of observers have expressed skepticism about this story, and the media has yet to surface direct evidence of the alleged COVID parties. Here's our [update about the controversy]().** The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can be deadly, [even to young people](), with estimates of its overall mortality rate often [hovering around one percent](). But according to a city official in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that isn't stopping college students from arranging "COVID-19 parties." She says that infected students attend the parties, which charge an entry fee, and then the first attendee to be diagnosed with COVID by a doctor gets the cash. "They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID," City Council member Sonya McKinstry said during a recent city meeting, [according to *ABC News*](). "Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense. They're intentionally doing it." Tuscaloosa fire chief Randy Smith corroborated McKinstry's claims at the same meeting. "We thought that was kind of a rumor at first," he said, according to *ABC*. "We did some research. Not only do the doctors' offices confirm it but the state confirmed they also had the same information." Neither official named a specific college in their claims, though Tuscaloosa is home to a number of schools including the University of Alabama and Stillman College. The coronavirus [has killed nearly 1,000 people]() in Alabama. *CNN* [later caught up]() with McKinstry, who doubled down on the intel about the parties — and decried the risky behavior, which flies in the face of common sense and public health. "It makes me furious," McKinstry said, according to *CNN*. "Furious to the fact that something that is so serious and deadly is being taken for granted. Not only is it irresponsible, but you could contract the virus and take it home to your parents or grandparents." Even with two officials corroborating the party story, it's possible the gatherings are a rumor. There's a long history of [moral panics sweeping the United States]() before it ultimately turns out that actual phenomenon was rare or nonexistent. In the case of the COVID parties, other city officials were evasive with *ABC*, saying they were still gathering information and stressing the continued importance of social distancing during the ongoing pandemic. One thing is for sure: Crowded parties are dangerous environments in which you can absolutely catch the coronavirus. A surprise birthday party in Texas [infected 18 relatives in June](), and a wedding in India caused an outbreak of [more than 80 cases]() — one of which, tragically, killed the groom. "This is not political," McKinstry told *CNN*. "This is a public health issue. People are dying and there is no cure. We have to do whatever we can to save as many lives as possible." ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()