A viral Facebook meme claiming that no politician has died of coronavirus has been debunked. The post implied that the general public was "being played" by the politicians. The meme had a picture of actor Tommy Lee Jones' character sheriff Ed Tom Bell from 2007 thriller 'No Country for Old Men.' The script on the post read: "Not one politician has died from the virus, lost their job, or had their business looted. Y'all know you're being played right?".
However, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of at least five politicians in the United States, as noted by FactCheck.org. In April alone, two politicians died due to coronavirus, 74-year-old South Dakota Rep. Bob Glanzer, and 54-year-old Louisiana Rep. Reggie Bagala. Other local politicians such as Jersey City's councilman Michael Yun and Marny Xiong, chairwoman of the board of education of Minnesota have died due to the highly contagious virus.
Herman Cain Lost His Life
Former presidential candidate Herman Cain was one of the popular politicians who died due to COVID-19 at the age of 74. He was vehement opposer of wearing masks during the pandemic. So far, COVID-19 killed over 190,000 people in the U.S. with California, Texas and Florida having recorded the highest number of deaths. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic fuelled various conspiracy theories.
From claiming COVID-19 was created at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, to linking the virus to 5G, the novel virus proved to be fodder for various dubious claims. In July, a conspiracy theorist died due to the virus after trying to contract the disease for proving it a hoax. The conspiracy theorist reportedly expressed regret for believing the virus was a hoax.
A study published in July found that men were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories related to coronavirus. "During a global pandemic, it's kind of the perfect storm of uncertainty. And so when we feel a lack of control, uncertainty or powerlessness, we seek out explanations for why the event occurred that's causing us to feel that way," study author Joanne Miller from the University of Delaware said at the time.
