Media boosts group of 16 Florida bar-goers who contracted COVID-19, yet 'none got seriously ill'

A group of over a dozen friends in Florida have taken to national media this week to warn Americans about the coronavirus, citing the fact that every one of them contracted COVID-19 while out at a recently opened nightclub in the Sunshine State. 

Yet none of the 16 friends became "seriously ill," while only a few manifested "flu-like symptoms," according to the exclusive CNN report on the mini-outbreak.

The relatively mild flare-up of the virus among the Floridians underscores what scientists have been observing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: For the vast majority of people it is a relatively unserious disease, often manifesting as a mild flu or a common cold. Some scientists have even estimated that as many as 45% of cases are asymptomatic. 

Though the group of Florida friends were mostly untroubled by the disease, they're nevertheless hoping that the rest of the country take heed from their experience. 

"We want to tell people it's really not ready for what we thought it was ready for, it's too soon," one of them told CNN's Chris Cuomo. 

"I feel foolish, it's too soon," another said.