A prominent anti-vaxxer who claimed coronavirus was 'just a common cold' and refused to get a vaccine was rushed to hospital with Covid-19.
John O'Looney has finally conceded that the virus is real and serious - describing his experience as 'very nasty'.
He was admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit with the virus last month.
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The funeral director had become a figurehead for anti-vaxxers with his social media videos that make claims about the pandemic and vaccines, reports The Mirror.
But 53-year-old Mr O'Looney's hospital experience forced him to backtrack slightly, although he seems to still think vaccines are unnecessary.
It comes as cases of coronavirus continue to rise across Greater Manchester, with more than 60,000 positive cases recorded in just one week.
New data has revealed that 61,561 people tested positive for the virus in the week ending January 1, a week-on-week rise of 39 per cent - an increase of 17,393 on the previous week.
In a written statement to his followers, shared on December 31, he wrote: "I was initially sceptical about Covid but I can confirm its validity and it is very nasty.
"So let us make no mistake there is an enemy to face but does it require endless bouts of injections after injections after injections?"
Mr O'Looney, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, complained the hospital's food was 'appalling' and 'all tasted the same'.
He also claimed doctors offered him a trial drug to help him recover, but he 'declined and stuck to my guns'.
He then discharged himself from hospital against doctors' advice.
After leaving, Mr O'Looney said: "I feel very fortunate to have escaped hospital (I never dreamt I would have lived to say that) with the help of family and friends.
"The sinister whispering, the secrecy and the guilty looks amongst certain members of staff spoke volumes to me.
"It was honestly very chilling and traumatising just seeing how it has changed - especially when I asked to leave."
Mr O'Looney has previously spoken at anti-vax events and was due to appear at a 'Freedom Rally' in Milton Keynes on December 31, where protesters stormed a children's pantomime and NHS test site.
Since his hospital stay, he has been forced to temporarily close the funeral business that he has run since 2017 'due to illness', adds The Mirror.
