19/10/2020
There have been significant numbers of people who have denied, or still deny, the existence of COVID-19. Some of these people are incredibly vocal in their claim that the pandemic is not real; mocking those who follow the guidance, ridiculing those who wear masks when in shops and other public establishments.
It may be easy to ignore these people and get on with your day, but some of them are pretty prolific and they gain an audience.
Some people, perhaps because it gives them confirmation of their own bias, lap up the nonsense spouted by conspiracy theorists.
They will claim that those of us who adhere to the government restrictions, and who wear masks in confined public spaces, are sheep. They try and suggest that we are being hoodwinked.
They cary on spouting such rubbish, typically, up to the point when they catch the virus. At this point, they frequently quieten up. Sometimes, they might even start opening up and telling those who listen to them that COVID is real after all.
Dmitriy Stuzhuk, a Ukrainian who caught the disease during a trip to Turkey, is one such example. He had previously been someone who, by his own admission, thought COVID didn't exist.
Mr Stuzhuk had posted on social media from his hospital bed, saying he had woken up in Turkey with a swollen neck and struggling to breathe. He told his 1.1 million followers: "I want to share how I got sick and to strongly warn everyone. I was one who thought that Covid does not exist...until I got sick. COVID-19 IS NOT A SHORT-LIVED DISEASE! And it is heavy."
The social media star, who promoted healthy living, was discharged from hospital after eight days, but the virus resulted in heart complications.
He was rushed back to hospital, leading to his ex-wife Sofia announcing that he was in a "grave condition" and "unconscious". She told her followers that he had "problems with his cardiovascular system... his heart is not coping".
"His state is extremely grave. No-one can do anything with this. I did everything I could so the father of my three children lives. But nothing depends on me now."
She subsequently announced his death, saying: "Only warm memories remain, three beautiful kids and valuable experience."
Dmitriy isn't the only COVID denier to contract the virus. Nor is he the only one to die as a result.
Karen Kolb Sehlke, a Trump-loving woman from Texas also died from COVID-19 after previously claiming the virus was a “media driven” hoax. Karen posted a Facebook rant on March 14th. She died on April 2nd, killed by the virus she mocked.
I am most definitely not rejoicing at the death of these poor people.
However, I am not going to waste time feeling sorry for them. They not only, to some extent, brought this upon themselves, but actively encouraged others to ignore the science. They put many people at risk through their stupidity.
Alanis Morissette sang about irony... Isn't it ironic that these people, who claimed COVID-19 was a hoax, were killed by the disease they didn't believe in?
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