An Ohio man is dead from COVID-19 weeks after claiming the coronavirus pandemic was a “political ploy.”

John W. McDaniel died at age 60 on Wednesday, April 15, in Columbus, Ohio, according to an obituary in the Marion Star. The newspaper said “Johnny McDaniel” was the first coronavirus death in Marion County; the obit said he died “with his loving family by his side from complications from Covid-19.”

The New York Post reports social media posts show McDaniel angrily dismissed coronavirus concerns last month and said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order was “bulls--t.”

“Does anybody have the guts to say this COVID-19 is a political ploy? Asking for a friend. Prove me wrong,” he wrote March 13 on Facebook.

Days later, the Republican governor announced a stay-at-home order, closing all non-essential businesses and telling residents to stay home with few exceptions, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and takeout food from restaurants.

“He doesn’t have that authority. If you are paranoid about getting sick just don’t go out. It shouldn’t keep those of us from living our lives,” McDaniel wrote. “The madness has to stop.”

According to the Post, McDaniel’s Facebook comments have since been deleted but screenshots have been circulating online.

Ohio man, 60, who blasted COVID-19 lockdown as 'political ploy' dies after contracting #coronavirus. https://t.co/QU5gmcwh5H — Bruce Bourgoine (@BruceBourgoine) April 21, 2020

Others have similarly dismissed the coronavirus as hype or a “hoax,” staging protests in Ohio and other states to demand reopening businesses. Health officials have continued to encourage social distancing, sheltering in place, and other precautions to slow the spread of coronavirus.

"Practically every day I see a tweet or blog post about someone who wrongly thought COVID-19 was a hoax dying of COVID-19 and all I can think about are the members of the media and politicians who misinformed that person and who assuredly feel zero responsibility,” CNN host Jake Tapper wrote on Twitter Monday.

McDaniel is survived by a wife and two sons. In his obituary, the family pleaded for “everyone to continue practicing social distancing to keep each other safe.”

More than 2.5 million cases of coronavirus and 171,000 deaths have been confirmed worldwide, including more than 788,000 cases and 42,000 deaths in the U.S. Ohio has confirmed nearly 13,000 cases of COVID-19 and just over 500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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