Czech folk singer and anti-vaxxer dies after purposefully exposing herself to COVID-19

Hana Horka was a well-regarded Czech folk singer. She was a member of one of the oldest Czech folk groups still active, Asonance. She died at the age of 57 from COVID-19.

According to her son Jan Rek (23), Horka had become influenced by the anti-vaxxer movement. Rek says that, because of her refusal to get vaccinated, she decided the best pathway to get a pass to travel and play at venues requiring proof of vaccination or recent infection was to catch the virus herself.

According to the Guardian, Rek along with Horka’s husband, both vaccinated, caught COVID-19 just before Christmas. Horka refused to isolate from the two men—in order to expose herself to COVID, as well. The Guardian reports that two days before her passing, Horka posted on social media: “I survived … It was intense. So now there will be the theatre, sauna, a concert … and an urgent trip to the sea.” 

According to her son, two days after that post, Horka said she wanted to go for a walk but then her back began hurting. The New York Times reports that the family rubbed ointment on her back and Horka went to lie down in her bedroom. Ten minutes later, she had died. “This is how fast it was.”