A man from California, US, who had previously mocked Covid-19 vaccines on social media, died following a month-long battle with the deadly virus. A member of the Hillsong megachurch, Stephen Harmon had been quite vocal in his dislike for vaccines and had made a series of jokes about not getting jabbed.
According to BBC, Harmon was being treated for pneumonia and Covid-19 in a hospital outside Los Angeles. Ahead of his death, Harmon posted some of his photos from his hospital bed, documenting his fight against the virus. He said, “Please pray y’all, they really want to intubate me and put me on a ventilator."
He revealed in his last tweet on Wednesday about his decision to go under intubation. He wrote, “Don’t know when I’ll wake up, please pray."
34 y.o. anti-vaxxer Stephen Harmon died from COVID on July 21. On June 3rd he posted a tweet saying "I got 99 problems but a vax ain’t one." Please #GetVaccinated and wear a mask. #SoulsLostToCovid https://t.co/BkWV1DTSrd pic.twitter.com/i2ZW2MHhU7— Cleavon MD 💉 (@Cleavon_MD) July 23, 2021
Despite contracting the virus, Harmon said he would still not get vaccinated. According to him, his faith in religion would protect him. He even made jokes about the pandemic and vaccines before his death and shared memes where he put more trust in the Bible than top US disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci.
Confirming the news of Harmon’s death, Hillsong founder Brian Houston said in a tweet, “Ben has just passed on to us the devastating news that our beloved friend, Stephen Harmon has passed away from Covid. Heartbreaking."
Paying a tribute to Harmon, Houston said in an Instagram post, “He was one of the most generous people I know and he had so much in front of him. He would always turn up to our grandkids soccer games and he will be missed by so many. RIP."
According to Houston, the church encourages its members “to follow the guidance of their doctors".
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