To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Christian Daystar co-founder and CEO Marcus Lamb passed away Tuesday morning after losing his battle with COVID-19 weeks after contracting it.
Lamb, 64, believed in the disease but was openly anti-vaccine, so he decided not to get vaccinated, an action that could have prevented the severe symptoms he experienced after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that Marcus Lamb, President and Founder of Daystar Television Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning. The family asks that their privacy be respected as they grieve this difficult loss. Please continue to lift them up in prayer," the network said in a tweet on Tuesday.
According to information from NBC News, Jonathan Lamb, the son of the deceased, replaced his father on November 23, where, during the broadcast, he begged listeners to pray for his father's recovery from COVID-19.
Lamb's wife, Joni, maintained her faith that her husband would come out of his illness well and kept in touch with Marcus's audience, telling them over the phone that, "With this - battling the disease - it's like riding a roller coaster."
"It's like, you'll just be awake and everything's great, and then you get a little bit calm, and then you come down and then you come back up, but out of everyone I talk to, I think that's the pattern," he told listeners.
At the time, Jonathan Lamb described his father's COVID infection as "a spiritual attack by the enemy" to bring him down.
Daystar Television Network, which describes itself on its website as “an award-winning, faith-based network dedicated to spreading the Gospel 24 hours a day, seven days a week, around the world, through every possible media format,” devoted hours of airtime to rebroadcasts of anti-vaccine activist programs.
Nearly a year and a half ago, when the pandemic was just beginning ‒July 2020‒, the Lamb family dedicated an hour of their broadcast to “censorship” surrounding the COVID pandemic, with the disinformation group America's Frontline Doctors.
Until now, the network has a special space on its website entitled "Vaccines, the unauthorized truth", where there are 32 videos hosted by Marcus himself, and where people speak out against vaccination.
“What if the most dangerous thing your child could face in life is exactly what your doctor tells you is safe? With very few safety protocols and a growing number of vaccine-related injuries, it is now more important than ever to educate yourself about vaccines so you can make the most informed decision for your child’s health,” the portal notes.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. participated in several episodes of this interview series, where he calls on viewers not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their children. However, due to the misinformation that was spreading, he was recently banned from the social network Instagram for his misinformation on the subject of COVID-19.
Organizations around the world such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among many others, have emphasized that vaccines are thus far the safest and most effective way to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, and death.
After most cases of infection in the country and around the world have been linked to the Delta variant, it is even more important to raise awareness and ensure the general well-being of the population by receiving the indicated doses of the vaccines that are distributed free of charge to all eligible people - 5 to 11 years old, 2 doses of 10 micrograms of the Pfizer vaccine; and two or one dose of 30 micrograms for those 12 years of age and older.
At the same time, following the indications of social distancing, wearing masks in closed places and in open places with a large number of people, as well as constant hand washing and not attending mass events.
With the spread of the Delta variant and the emergence of Omicron, which is rapidly spreading to southern Africa and has already reported cases in Europe, Asia and America, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC have recommended the administration of a booster vaccine for all those over 18 years of age, thereby increasing the number of antibodies that can combat the disease.
"In recent months, several prominent anti-vaccination Christian talk show hosts have died from COVID-19. Conservative radio hosts Dick Farrell, Phil Valentine and Marc Bernier, who were not vaccinated, have all died after contracting the virus," NBC News reported.
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