A man’s Facebook posts have gone viral after he passed away from the coronavirus. Richard “Rick” Rose, a 37-year-old man from Port Clinton, Ohio, died at his home as a result of complications from COVID-19.
Rose made a series of posts closing the panic around the coronavirus as “hype” in the weeks leading up to her death. The nature of the posts suddenly changed when Rose started feeling bad and tested positive for coronavirus.
Rose’s family told her 19 news who died at home on July 4, just three days after testing positive for coronavirus.
Now Rose’s Facebook posts are shared online as a warning that young people are not invincible. A tweet, which compiled Rose’s posts, attracted over 160,000 likes.
“Let this be clear,” Rose posted April 28. “I’m not buying a ** king mask. I got this far by not buying that damn exaggeration.”
On May 12, he wrote: “I got tired of turning on my TV with shitty political defamation announcements about COVID. So yesterday I handed over my cable box. I also started sleeping people here. It’s time to block negativity.” .
Rose also shared an Islamophobic meme that suggests wearing a mask would make it easier to “force” women to wear a niqab.
The nature of the posts changed rapidly on July 1, when he received a test for coronavirus.
“I have been very ill the past few days,” he wrote. “This morning they finally cleaned me up. I should know soon what the results are. I just want to feel good again!”
An hour later, Rose revealed that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The next day Rose wrote, “This covid is crap! I’m so out of breath just sitting here.
Only two days later, Rose would pass away at her home.
“We were impressed, you know? You hear about this virus and you don’t expect it to affect people, younger people like us, ”Nick Conley, a friend of Rose’s, told 19News.
Conley also commented on the viral response to Rose’s posts.
“Rick is being killed online right now for his decision not to wear a mask and that’s not right,” said Conley. “We should still be compassionate whether we agree with someone’s beliefs or not. Someone passed away and we should have a little compassion for that. “
“It is horrible that we have lost Rick, but the even more tragic part of that is who else got infected because of the actions he chose,” Conley said.
“I know many people who have not met someone who they know has been diagnosed with the virus and I wanted people to see that it was real and my hope is that people will see this happen and people will be more cautious.”
The best way to avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus is with complete hand wash and social distancing. If you feel that you may be experiencing coronavirus symptoms, including persistent cough (usually dry), fever, shortness of breath, and fatigue, call your doctor before testing. For comprehensive updates and resources, visit the CDC website. If you are anxious about the virus, seek mental health support from your provider or visit NAMI.org.
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