We’re currently in the second summer plagued by coronavirus, and the pattern of news stories covering it has shifted considerably. By now scientists have a good idea of how COVID-19 is spread, how mask-wearing and vaccines can help limit the spread, and know some reliable ways to treat symptoms. Rather than panic and uncertainty, the biggest problem remaining in the United States is hesitancy and outright refusal to get vaccinated by a large portion of the population.
Vaccine misinformation runs rampant on social media, and while some are worried about symptoms or cannot get proper time off in case of side effects, many simply believe false claims spread over Facebook and/or conservative TV and radio. Some medical experts have called the current crisis a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” and while there are breakthrough cases of coronavirus and the Delta variant appears to be spread by vaccinated people in some circumstances, the large majority of those getting severely sick and dying are unvaccinated.
Which is why news that an anchor from right-wing TV outlet Newsmax dying of coronavirus complications is so notable. According to NBC News, one Dick Farrel died last week after a brief battle with the disease. In his final days, he abruptly pivoted away from COVID denial to advocating friends and family members to get vaccinated before it’s too late. His illness and death came just weeks after he called the vaccine “Bull Shid” in a post on Facebook.
Farrel was a vocal and staunch advocate against the coronavirus vaccine, which he posted about on social media and once called “bogus.” He also railed against figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who he called a “lying freak.”
However, after contracting Covid, friends said Farrel’s attitude about the vaccine and the virus changed, according to WPTV.
“COVID took one of my best friends! RIP Dick Farrel. He is the reason I took the shot. He texted me and told me to ‘Get it!’ He told me this virus is no joke and he said, ‘I wish I had gotten it!'” wrote Amy Leigh Hair, a friend of Farrel’s, on Facebook.
The story follows a familiar path in recent weeks, as reporters chronicle the unnecessary deaths of people who believed they could simply be stronger than the extremely deadly virus, which also has long-term symptoms much worse in those who remain unvaccinated. Whether it’s a 42-year-old fitness enthusiast who refused vaccines because of his health, several members of a largely unvaccinated Florida church whose pastor is now begging his flock to get the jab or Republican politicians dead shortly after sharing anti-mask memes online, this kind of story has become all too easy to predict.
Stories of anti-vaxxers belatedly regretting their decisions will only keep piling up as people continue to refuse sound medical advice.
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