The anti-vaccine community in Israel is crying foul after a prominent anti-vaxxer, Hai Shoulian, died of COVID-19 at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon on Monday.
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Even after he was hospitalized, Shoulian clung not only to his refusal to be vaccinated, but also his opposition to social distancing regulations.
In one social media post he uploaded while in the hospital, Shoulian wrote: "Dear friends. My condition is critical. I'm in very serious condition on the COVID unit. I can't talk and respond to people. I don't have oxygen and can't get stabilized."
"This morning I woke up and was so wet it was as if someone had soaked me with buckets of water. It took me a few hours to realize who I was, where I was, and what I was doing here. A lack of oxygen is a terrible thing. I thank everyone who supports and worries about me. You can pray, it helps. The Lord is with me, I'm not afraid. I believe I'll make it past this, with God's help. I expect it to take two, maybe three weeks," Shoulian wrote.
Shoulian urged people to continue the anti-vaccine movement: "Keep fighting. The state is coercing criminal interests on us. Don't give up. The 'green pass' won't be instated in Israel. It has nothing to do with COVID. It has nothing to do with vaccines. It has to do with coercion. Am Yisrael Chai!"
Earlier, Shoulian had posted a video in which he described being arrested approximately a week ago, saying, "the police poisoned me."
"They poured a substance into my body. I'm telling you it was an attempt on my life. If something happens to me, you'll realize that this is the reality," Shoulian claimed.
Many commenters responded to Shoulian's death with claims that he had been murdered at the hospital.
"May he rest in peace. Killer of kings. Murdered. May God avenge his blood," one person wrote. There were numerous similar responses.
One supporter of Shoulian wrote in response to a picture of Shoulian wearing an oxygen mask that "Hospital protocols are designed to murder." Another chimed in: "This is fraud. They aren't giving you enough oxygen there." A few followers offered advice: "Put some chopped onion in a diaper and place it on your chest, it sanitizes the germs from your respiratory system."
However, a number of commenters expressed regret for Shoulian's death but pointed out that the vaccine could have saved his life.
"One of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists dies of COVID. Very sad. Vaccines save lives, get vaccinated," one person wrote.
"To his last moments, Shoulian opposed the vaccine that could have saved his life. What a shame, I hope that his tragic death will help outreach about the importance of vaccines," a different user said.
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