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Landon Spradlin, a pastor from Virginia, previously mocked the “hysteria” over the coronavirus pandemic and said that the fear over COVID-19 was “agenda-driven”. Now, Spradlin has passed away after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a report from BBC.
Spradlin was 66-years-old.
The pastor had driven to Louisiana for Mardi Gras proceedings a little over a month ago along with his wife, Jean Spradlin. Spradlin was looking to “save the souls” of those who were in attendance. Instead, on his way back home, Spradlin fell ill.
Spradlin was eventually taken to a hospital in North Carolina before receiving a positive diagnosis and being transported to the ICU.
The pastor died eight days later.
“We just never thought our father would pass away because of this. But he wasn’t the type of person to just live in fear and let it rob him of the joy of the life that he had,” his daughter Jesse Spradlin said.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 9,600 deaths in the United States which surpasses and nearly triples the death toll of the September 11 terrorist in New York City — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
