A diehard Italian anti-vaxxer who
became a popular radio personality died of COVID at the age of
61 on Monday night, sources said Tuesday.
Car body repairman Maurizio Buratti, better known as "Mauro from
Mantua" on the La Zanzara (Mosquito) radio programme on Radio 24
Ore, died in a Verona hospital where he had been receiving
treatment for some weeks and had been in intensive care for 22
days.
Despite being in a a critical condition, he never disavowed his
COVID denialist views.
Buratti consistently denied the existence of the coronavirus and
once boasted he had gone into a Mantua supermarket despite being
reported as having it.
He said he had been happy to play the 'plague-spreader', with a
38 degree fever and his mask down.
He initially refused to go to the Verona hospital "because there
are communists there" but reluctantly agreed after being
diagnosed with double pneumonia.
One of the radio show's presenters, Davide Parenzo, tweeted:
"rest in peace wherever you are, old conspiracy theorist. I only
hope your sad story serves as an example to all those who are
still fuelling doubts about the efficacy of vaccines".
Lead presenter Giuseppe Cruciani said "Mauro is no longer with
us: I hoped, we hoped, that his tough hide could beat everything
again. Not to be. he was a hard-headed guy and that damn week
was f atal to him".
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