You can add a few more to the growing list of college students who came down with the new coronavirus after taking a spring break trip.
About two dozen University of Texas at Austin students who partied for five days in Cabo San Lucas last month have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
The 28 students were in a group of 70 that chartered a plane to Mexico to party in the sun and flew back on their own, the New York Times said. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention used the chartered flight manifest to contact each student who was on board the flight.
Dr. Mark E. Escott, the interim medical director in Austin, told the paper that while younger people have less risk for complications, “they are not immune from the severe illness and death from COVID-19.”
The report pointed out that four of the students who were diagnosed were asymptomatic.
Last week, the University of Tampa reported at least four cases involving spring breakers testing positive.
Spring breakers this year were widely criticized for disobeying state orders about large gatherings.
A New Jersey father made headlines after he refused to allow his son back into his house after he partied down in South Padre Island, Texas.
“I was aggravated,” the father told the New York Post. “The news here was getting worse and worse. Matt sent me pictures of him and his friends congregating outdoors and listening to live music. It’s the scene you would not want to be in.”
“His grandparents live here and there is no need to expose them to god knows what he had been exposed to,” he continued.
One of the most widely seen interviews involved an Ohio student in Miami.
Brady Sluder told CBS News that he had little concern about catching the virus. He said, “whatever happens happens.”
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“If I get corona, I get corona,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying. I’ve been waiting, we’re been waiting for Miami spring break for a while. About two, three months, and we’re just out here having a good time.”
Sluder later apologized for the comments and, despite states already taking precautions, the virus’ spread in the country appeared to take an even more serious turn since then.
Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday that there are 206,000 known cases in the U.S. and about 4,500 deaths. That number could be far lower than the actual count since many carriers can show no symptoms.