A fitness coach and influencer in Ukraine who believed that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) “does not exist” has died after being infected with the virus, Daily Mirror reported.
Dmitriy Stuzhuk, 33, was said to have been discharged from the hospital when his condition rapidly deteriorated, triggering heart complications that led to his death.
“Dima (Dmitriy) had problems with his cardiovascular system. His heart is not coping. His state is extremely grave. No-one can do anything with this. God, it is so terrible to realize that he is not with us anymore,” said his wife Sofia.
When Stuzhuk contracted COVID-19, he took back what he said about the virus being a hoax. In a social media post, he said: “I want to share how I got sick and to strongly warn everyone. I was one who thought that Covid does not exist. Until I got sick.”
“COVID-19 IS NOT A SHORT-LIVED DISEASE! And it is heavy,” he added.
Stuzhuk caught the virus on a trip to Turkey, when he developed symptoms, including a swollen neck and breathing difficulties. When he went home to Ukraine, he was diagnosed with the disease and was hospitalized. He also showed how he needed a respirator to be able to breathe.
After eight days, Stuzhuk said he was allowed to leave the hospital and recover at his home. However, Sofia said a few hours later, he was in a “grave condition” and “unconscious.”
