Lock themselves down? Never... COVID Cases Explode After White House Media Dinner Becomes Superspreader Event Cases of Covid-19 among attendees to the White House correspondents' dinner two weekends ago continue to mount, as the fully vaccinated and boosted 'elites' who condescended to non-compliant Americans participated in a superspreader event. As The Hill notes, "High-profile cases following the dinner include ABC reporter Jonathan Karl, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and reporters from The Washington Post, Voice of America and other outlets." There is no exact count, and it is not clear which dinner attendees contracted the virus at the dinner itself or at one of the many parties last weekend surrounding it. But the string of reported cases does emphasize the point that even as the country seeks to move on from the virus, large indoor gatherings do carry some risk. The cases have also played into an ongoing debate, with some arguing that the current era of COVID-19 allows vaccinated and boosted people to decide to attend large gatherings even if it means a small risk, while others are more cautious, pointing to the downstream effects on other people of increased transmission. -The Hill No - it's not a debate over whether large gatherings are a good idea since the dominant strain of Covid is only slightly more deadly than the common cold and the vast majority of people will make it through Covid-19 without issue. The point is that those who refused to play the lockdown game were chastised by the very people at this superspreader event. "I’m yet another [White House Correspondents’ Association] weekend casualty," tweeted Puck News correspondent Julia Ioffe. "I knew I was taking a risk and, well, here we are!" And yes, I’m yet another #WHCA weekend casualty. I knew I was taking a risk and, well, here we are! — Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) May 4, 2022 WaPo journalist Jada Yuan tweeted that she had tested positive, then felt obligated to condescend over how people should conduct themselves to avoid her mistake. "Hindsight and all that, but wear a mask or leave or tell your employer you can’t go if you’re in a situation where you feel uncomfortable," she tweeted, adding "Those consequences are usually better than the ones you’ll face if you get sick." According to White House Correspondents’ Association President Steven Portnoy, "We worked hard to publicize our protocols and encouraged those eligible to get booster shots in the weeks leading up to the dinner," adding "Our event implemented protocols that went beyond any guidance or regulation issued by the CDC or the DC health department. We wish anyone who may not be feeling well a speedy recovery."