An American posting from a hantavirus quarantine facility has responded after being smeared as a crisis actor.
The rat-borne disease took hold on MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship that left Argentina for Spain on April 1. It reached Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Sunday night, before people from all over the world were repatriated on flights to their home countries and, in some cases, sent to third-party countries for isolation.
The American passengers were taken to specially designed units, including a secure facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. That’s where travel content creator Jake Rosmarin was taken.
He has shared updates from the facility, where he is undergoing an evaluation to see if a 42-day stay is required. “I am doing well and being treated with incredible care and attention here,” he wrote in a day two update on Instagram.
But from the moment he went public, he has been set upon by conspiracy theorists who think he is a paid actor whose role it is to plug a fake illness.
“He said the same s--t during Covid with the same outfit on!!” one person wrote under his update. “It’s a scam everyone don’t believe it,” jagateley85 added.
‘Thetruth8’ simply labeled Rosmarin an “Actor,” while “Kasandrabranco” was more terse. “😂😂😂😂😂FAKE FKN NEWSSSSSS! No one believes ur bulls--t,” they said.
Caddidaddy1958 added, “Haha stage you faker!!!”
It was no different after his first post from quarantine. _njsarge said: “You’ll need to prove you’re not a crisis actor.”
Zach Lerner added: “Crisis actor. You were in Covid bulls--t too.”
These were among dozens of typo-strewn comments that used aggressive language, accusing Rosmarin of faking his situation.
He told the Daily Beast that the comments initially got to him, but because he’s in a specialist facility, he’s now able to brush them off. “They did get to me originally. I think the comments that were hateful were more scary when I was in the cabin on the ship and much was unknown. Now I know I’m in great care and I’m at ease, they really don’t bother me at all,” he said.
He said the hateful comments aren’t based on facts, “and people are reacting just to react.” He added, “Whereas the love and support has genuinely been felt from the heart.”
Rosmarin also told the Beast about the first thing he’ll do when he gets home. “I just can’t wait to give my fiancé and all of my family big hugs. I know it sounds cliché, but that’s all I want, and to know I can do it safely.”
As for travel plans, he said he still wants to go away later this year but admitted it could be a “bit hard for me after this, as it was a bit traumatic.”
The Boston-based travel content creator, who also confirmed that he was not the passenger who was reported to have displayed hantavirus symptoms, also shared his story with Today’s Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday morning.
“I’m feeling good, I got rest last night after a very long travel day the night before,” he said. “Yesterday was definitely a day for us all to rest here, just general intake for us. Yeah, I feel good right now. I’m happy to be in a place where we are well cared for, and if anything happens, we have the medical care we need.”
The ship has reported eight confirmed cases of the Andes strain rat-borne disease, including three deaths.
The fatalities include a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who died on April 11, followed weeks later by his 69-year-old wife, whose posthumous test later confirmed hantavirus infection. A third passenger, a German national, died on board in early May.
