Texas GOP leader dies of Covid-19 days after posting anti-vaccine meme

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Days after uploading an anti-vaccine post on Facebook, Texas Republican Executive Committee member and Dickinson Councilman Scott Apley died of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
• Apley was known to be against the vaccination and mask mandate.
• The delta variant accounts for 93 percent of COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Texas GOP leader who recently questioned the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine passed away on Wednesday due to the virus.

Scott Apley, Texas Republican Executive Committee member and Dickinson Councilman, died on Wednesday morning, as announced through the Facebook post by the Galveston County Republican Party.

In a GoFundMe page set up for Apley, it stated that he was brought to the hospital on Sunday after experiencing “pneumonia-like symptoms and tested positive for COVID.” The fund raising collected over $30,000 as of Thursday morning.

The 45-year-old official was survived by his wife Melissa and their baby boy. Melissa also contracted the virus but was not hospitalized.

On its Facebook post, the county GOP said that Apley’s passing was a “tragedy,” asking their supporters to “pray for Melissa and Reid and their family.”

“God remains in control although this is yet another tough one to swallow,” the statement added.

Just two days before he got hospitalized, Apley posted his thoughts on Facebook in an attempt to challenge the efficacy and reliability of the vaccines.

“In 6 months, we’ve gone from the vax ending the pandemic—to you can still get covid even if vaxxed—to you can pass covid onto others even if vaxxed,” he wrote at the time.

Previously, the Republican official also aired his resistance against the mask mandates and vaccination. He even shared a flyer for a mask-burning event in May.

In a statement on Wednesday, Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi said that the party was “incredibly saddened” by Apley’s untimely demise.

“Please join me in lifting the Apley family up in prayer. We will miss Scott deeply but find comfort knowing he is at peace in the arms of our Savior,” he said.

Apley’s passing came amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country due to the highly-contagious delta variant. Bipartisan leaders have been urging Americans to get the vaccines as soon as they can.

According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, over 93 percent of COVID-19 infections in the US had been identified with the delta strain.

Source: The Hill