Czech folk singer Hana Horka has died after intentionally catching Covid.
Horka, 57, had not been vaccinated, and her son, Jan Rek, said she got infected deliberately when he and his father had the virus.
Rek told the BBC that Horka, who was in the folk band Asonance, wanted to test positive so she could get a recovery pass to access certain venues. Proof of vaccination or recent infection is required in the Czech Republic to gain entry to venues including cinemas, bars and cafes.
Two days before she died, Horka had posted on social media that she was recovering. She wrote: “Now there will be theatre, sauna, a concert.”
Horka’s son and partner, who are both fully vaccinated, caught Covid over the Christmas holidays.
“She should have isolated for a week because we tested positive. But she was with us the whole time,” he said.
Rek told the BBC that on Sunday (16 January), Horka said she was feeling better and got ready to go for a walk, but then went to lie down in her bedroom because of back pain.
“In about 10 minutes it was all over,” he said. “She choked to death.”
He added: “Her philosophy was that she was more OK with the idea of catching Covid than getting vaccinated.” Explaining that she was not necessarily a conspiracy theorist, he said: “Not that we would get microchipped or anything like that.”
Rek said he hoped that people hearing his story would be encouraged to get the vaccine.
