Man Who Called Coronavirus 'Fake Crisis' Gets Infected

A Florida man who was once skeptical about COVID-19 has lost his wife to the virus.

Brian Hitchens, an Uber driver from the town of Jupiter who first believed that COVID-19 was a "fake crisis" that was "blown out of proportion," wound up contracting the novel virus alongside his wife, Erin, in May.

While he recovered from the illness, his wife remained hospitalized on a ventilator. According to BBC News, Erin died earlier this month from heart problems linked to the virus. The 46-year-old had prexisting health conditions, including asthma and a sleeping disorder.

Brian expressed how he wished he followed safety guidelines from the beginning and hoped his wife would forgive him.

"This is a real virus that affects people differently. I can't change the past. I can only live in today and make better choices for the future," Brian told the outlet. "She's no longer suffering, but in peace. I go through times missing her, but I know she's in a better place."

After the couple contracted COVID earlier this year, Brian changed his tune and began encouraging people to take the illness seriously, reported WPTV, an NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach.

He initially believed that the government warned of COVID-19 to "distract" the public.

"I thought it was maybe the government trying something, and it was kind of like they threw it out there to kinda distract us," Hitchens told the outlet.

"I'd get up in the morning and pray and trust in God for his protection, and I'd just leave it at that. There were all these masks and gloves. I thought it looks like a hysteria," he added.

Hitchens even initially posted several Facebook posts downplaying the seriousness and expressing his opinion about the pandemic.

Hitchens doesn't want to see anyone go through what he went through and shared his experience on social so others would take this virus seriously.

"This wasn't some scare tactic that anybody was using. It wasn't some made-up thing. This was a real virus you gotta take seriously," Hitchens said.

Hitchen's wife was admitted for COVID-19 at the same time as him, to the same hospital, where she eventually died.

"My wife's on a ventilator. It's been like that for three weeks, and it's tough. It's sad," he said back in May.

Hitchens was never put on a ventilator but started feeling stronger after he experienced terrible aches and pains.

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