Italian Man, 28, Who Did Not Believe In COVID Dies After Contracting It And Removing Oxygen Mask In Hospital

Story By: James KingSub-EditorMarija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

An Italian man who said he did not believe in the coronavirus and refused to be vaccinated has died of the disease after tearing off his life-saving oxygen mask.

Luigi Cossellu, aged 28, had even initially refused any treatment when he was taken in a serious condition to the Santa Maria Goretti Hospital in the city of Latina, which is the capital of the province of the same name in the central Italian Lazio region.

He told the staff that he did not believe the disease even existed when he arrived at the hospital on 16th January. It was also revealed that his father, 55, does not believe in the disease and is currently in the same hospital fighting for his life on a ventilator.

Luigi Cossellu, 28, has died from Covid-19 after ripping off his oxygen mask and insisting that he did not have the disease, in Latina, Italy, in January, 2021. (Newsflash)

But as Luigi’s condition quickly worsened over the next 24 hours, he was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure as one of the consequences of the disease, and he was moved to the intensive care ward.

Yet tragically, while there, he continued to refuse treatment and even removed his oxygen mask. Silvia Cavalli, the director of the local health authority in Latina, said it was only later that doctors persuaded him to leave it in place. However, it was too late to save him.

He died five days later after his condition deteriorated, leaving behind a fiancee.

Luigi Cossellu, 28, has died from Covid-19 after ripping off his oxygen mask and insisting that he did not have the disease, in Latina, Italy, in January, 2021. (Newsflash)

Both father and son had refused to get vaccinated, and their tragic story is now being used to encourage others to get the vaccine.

Local health counsellor Alessio D’Amato was among those pointing out the tragedy of the 28-year-old man’s death, saying it should dispel the myth that young people do not die from the disease.