A conservative radio host in Florida who was openly opposed to the coronavirus vaccine has died of the COVID-19 infection after a three-week battle with the disease.
Marc Bernier’s final tweet, sent July 30, compared the vaccination and virus mitigation efforts to Nazi Germany.
Radio station WNDB ― News Daytona Beach ― confirmed the news on Twitter on Saturday.
He was 65.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal noted a broadcast in December in which Bernier announced he wasn’t getting the vaccine.
“Come on!” replied co-host Justin Gates.
Bernier fired back: “Are you kidding me? Mr. Anti-Vax? Jeepers.”
“Ever?” asked Gates.
“No,” Bernier said.
Mark McKinney, the station’s operations director, told the newspaper earlier this month that he wasn’t sure if Bernier was vaccinated but noted: “If you’ve listened to his show, you’ve heard him talk about how anti-vaccine he is on the air.”
Florida has battled a surge of infections, hospitalizations and deaths, including a record number of deaths in a single day due to the pandemic. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has actively resisted most efforts at controlling the spread of the virus, and has attempted to ban mask and vaccine requirements.
