Political “hoax” anti masker  killed by Covid-19

A former  Republican councilman who opposed mask-wearing and spread conspiracy theories about COVID-19  on social media has died from the disease one of many deniers who have been infected.

Tony Tenpenny, a Nashville, Tennesse Council Member died Sunday died after being hospitalized for more than a month and after being placed on a ventilator earlier this month.

, Tenpenny represented the 16th Nashville Metro Council from 2011 to 2015. He ran for reelection again last year but lost to current Council Member Ginny Welsch.

Prior to his diagnosis, Teneppy mocked COVID-19 and its severity openly on social media. On Facebook, he questioned the use of masks and t shared articles criticizing safety measures and lockdowns in place by states in addition to other conspiracy theories calling the virus a political tactic.

More than a dozen posts can be traced back to his social media in which he spread misinformation about the virus, including a video from a Texas doctor who created outrageous theories about the virus and its connection to demons. In another post, he wrote, “the CDC and the WHO are pure (expletive) lying “

Some of the articles he shared, were marked as “partly false information” by Facebook. Many of his posts are now unavailable or hidden on the site.

Welsch said in a statement Monday. “Anyone can be felled by it. Not taking the precautions we know work to slow the spread is like playing Russian roulette. You are risking your life and the lives of those around you.”

The coronavirus is real and deadly. Denying its severity and the consequences of it will not protect you from being infected. Health officials nationwide are urging individuals to social distance and abide by safety measures in place, including wearing a mask. Despite the Trump administration’s failure to address the virus, we must not fall victim to believing the virus is a “hoax.”

As of Sept.21 more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. have been infected by the coronavirus and at least 200,000 have died as a result, The country is averaging over 41,000  new cases a day.