Anti-vaxxer Covid Parties On The Rise Across The Gold Coast

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has publicly condemned anti-vaxx Covid parties which are becoming more frequent across the Gold Coast.

Covid parties hosted by anti-vaxxers are on the rise across the Gold Coast with Queensland Health officials labelling them “selfish and self-serving”.

The issue has been cause for concern for many health officials as Gold Coast presents with the highest number of patients admitted to ICU with the virus.

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The parties are a growing trend throughout the country with many deliberately catching the virus in the hopes it will build their immunity.

A spokesperson from Queensland Health told the Courier Mail that these parties are both “reckless” and “selfish”.

“The vast majority of Queenslanders are sensible enough to know what is appropriate, especially when Covid-19 is rife in our community,” he said.

“We can’t make this any clearer: if you are sick – isolate and get tested. If you are a confirmed Covid-19 case or close contact, stay at home.”

- Queensland Health

The spokesperson said these parties have the potential to put unnecessary strain on already stressed health workers.

“… It puts even further strain on our frontline workers who have been responding to this pandemic for more than two years,” he said.

“We urge Queenslanders to remember Covid-19 is not mild and in some cases may cause long-term health complications. The Omicron variant is no different – every day we see people dying around the world after contracting this particular strain of the virus.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate labelled the party hosts and attendees as “brainless” during an appearance on the Today Show.

“They’re all unvaccinated people and if you want to get Covid that’s the place to go and get it because someone’s going to have it and it spreads too easily, it’s a brainless idea and I wish they wouldn’t do it,” he said.

The comments come after Tate told the Gold Coast Bulletin the virus should be treated much like flu and left to spread through the community so it can reach its peak as soon as possible.

This was met with much criticism as Gold Coast vaccination rates are still lacking with many of Queensland’s ICU patients coming from the Gold Coast.

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