Pastor who doubted COVID-19 finds himself in ICU after saying he's a “no-masker”

According to CNN, Paul Van Noy, a senior pastor at Candlelight Church in Coeur d’Alene who has questioned the veracity of the coronavirus case reports has spent two weeks in the hospital with a Covid-19 diagnosis.

Ministry coordinator Eric Reade is reported as saying that five other church staff were infected with coronavirus but have all recovered.

Van Noy said in a statement issued through the Candlelight Church that he’ll soon move out of the ICU into another room in the hospital and then recover at home.

“At present, I feel OK but still need quite a bit of oxygen support — especially if and when I try to get up out of the bed,” he said.

The church said that Van Noy’s wife also contracted Covid-19 but wasn’t hospitalised.

On July July 22, he raised reservations about wearing a face mask, saying people should go ahead and wear it but he should not be asked to do so.

“Multiple international studies have shown that wearing masks, paired with persistent social distancing, are the most effective ways to prevent transmission of coronavirus. Effective face masks keep asymptomatic people from sneezing, coughing, or spitting out droplets that contain the virus and prevent the wearer from breathing in someone else’s virus-bearing droplets.” May we keep our heads at a time like this,” Van Noy wrote.

“And, may we defend our freedoms lest they quickly disappear. We will not close down our church, we will not stop singing praises to the Lord, and we will not be required to wear masks or refrain from allowing those who wish to wear one the opportunity.”

Pastor who doubted COVID-19 finds himself in ICU after saying he's a “no-masker”

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