Veronica Wolski, a Chicago activist and well-known QAnon supporter who spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, died of the virus early Monday.
The Chicago woman, at the center of the Ivermectin firestorm, was just 64-years-old. A Cook County medical examiner’s office representative reported she died of pneumonia brought on by her COVID-19 infection, and hypothyroidism was also a contributing factor.
According to The Chicago Tribune, Wolski was hospitalized in Chicago’s intensive care unit of AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center and in the days leading up to her death, the hospital was inundated with calls from her anti-vaccine supporters, demanding that she be given Ivermectin, a drug that can be used to deworm livestock or humans, depending on the formulation.
The hospital previously said its doctors and clinicians were following Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and would not prescribe Ivermectin for COVID-19.
On Sunday, Lin Wood, a lawyer well known for his support of former President Donald Trump and his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen, uploaded a video to Telegram on Sunday that depicted him calling the hospital. Wood demanded Wolski’s release and suggested the institution could be charged for murder if they didn’t discharge her.
ALSO READ: Chicago Entertainment Lawyer, Linda Mensch dies in tragic accident
“There’s an ambulance waiting for her outside. There’s a medical doctor waiting for her to treat her. If you do not release her, you’re going to be guilty of murder. Do you understand what murder is?” Wood is seen asking. He also posted a video of a Chicago police officer speaking to a person outside of the hospital who was asking to be allowed to perform a wellness check. A hospital spokesperson confirmed the officers assisted in maintaining order outside the hospital with a small group of individuals.
Wolski was well-known around Chicago for her political activism and passion. She became relevant in 2016 by standing on a pedestrian bridge over the Kennedy Expressway with banners showing support for progressive candidate Bernie Sanders, but then switched her allegiance to the QAnon conspiracy theory and supporting former President Trump, who sold himself as a mouthpiece for people like Veronica.
Wolski’s had an online presence full of posts showing disdain for masking, vaccines and other mainstream approaches to avoiding COVID-19.
