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An Ohio father of two children died from the coronavirus last week after previously claiming the outbreak was “Bulls—” and a “Political Ploy,” according to reports.
John McDaniel, 60, of Marion County, died April 15 at a hospital in Columbus, according to the Marion Star.
He had made several posts about the coronavirus on Facebook last month before testing positive for the virus.
“Does Anybody Have the Guts to Say This COVID-19 is a Political Ploy? Asking for a Friend. Prove Me Wrong,” he wrote March 13, according to The Sun.
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A couple of days later, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a stay-at-home order closing bars and restaurants in the state, which McDaniel declared was “bulls–t.”
“If What I’m hearing is true, that DeWine has ordered all bars and restaurants to be closed, I Say Bulls–t! He doesn’t have that authority” McDaniel wrote. The posts have since been taken down on Facebook, according to The Sun.
Protesters gather outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, April 20, 2020, to protest the stay home order that is in effect until May 1. (Associated Press)
The stay-at-home order has prompted protests outside the Statehouse in Columbus.
Following his death, the McDaniel family thanked nurses at Marion General Hospital and staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital for trying to his life, according to his obituary posted by Synder Funeral Homes.
“They would also like to remind everyone to continue practicing social distancing to keep each other safe,” the family added.
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Ohio has seen more than 13,725 coronavirus cases and at least 557 deaths from the virus as of Tuesday night, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. McDaniel’s was the first coronavirus death recorded in Marion County, the Marion Star reported.
