Did the Same Person ‘Die Twice’ from COVID-19?







Many people do more than one thing, in different places, during their lifetimes.







































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['Newspaper accounts reported two different deaths from COVID-19 for the same person.', 'Scientists are still uncertain whether a person who has contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus disease can catch it again. However, according to an item circulated via social media (“Corona is so bad, this guy died twice!”), one person has apparently not only caught, but actually died of COVID-19 twice:', '', 'According to the two separate news accounts pictured above, a retired Milwaukee police lieutenant and a University of Memphis professor, identified with identical photographs, seemingly both died in March 2020 from the COVID-19 coronavirus.', 'However, the news reports of the COVID-19 victim seen above employed different headlines to refer to the same person, Lenard Wells, who was both a former police officer and an instructor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis:', '[Wells] spent 27 years on the Milwaukee Police Department, where he worked tirelessly to bring racial equity to the ranks as president of the League of Martin, an association for African American officers.', 'During his tenure, the League of Martin sued to make sure promotions and assignments were fair.', '“He wanted African American law enforcement officers to have the same rights and opportunities that were afforded to other officers,” Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Regina Howard said.', 'After his police retirement, then-Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Wells chairman of the Wisconsin Parole Commission. In recent years, Wells taught criminal justice at the University of Memphis.', 'Lenard retired from the Milwaukee Police Department after 27 years of service as a Lieutenant of Police. After retiring from the Milwaukee Police Department, he was appointed by Governor Jim Doye of Wisconsin to Chair the Wisconsin Parole Board.', 'Forster, Victoria. \xa0 “Can You Get Sick with Coronavirus Twice? The Jury Is Still Out.”\n\xa0 \xa0 Forbes. \xa0 8 April 2020.', 'Luthern, Ashley. \xa0 “‘A Law Enforcement Pioneer’: Lenard Wells, Who Died of Coronavirus Complications, Leaves Lasting Legacy.”\n\xa0 \xa0 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. \xa0 23 March 2020.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', 'A complete story is rarely told in a headline.', 'Social media rumors that two memorials in New York were vandalized proved misleading.', 'In August 2019, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man died after an encounter with police officers in Aurora, Colorado.', 'A chaotic scene in St. Louis sparked outrage, memes, and confusion.', 'Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on sex abuse charges connected to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.', 'The white supremacist group made frequent use of the slogan more recently embraced by President Donald Trump, though they did not, as some claim, invent it.', "The question of past arrests often surfaces among people who want to rationalize police officers' actions when Black men are killed in custody.", 'You can claim anything if you remove the barrier of evidence.', 'Rumors about antifa plotting violence have coincided with the month of July and Gettysburg before.', '© 1995 - 2020 by Snopes Media Group Inc.', 'This material may not be reproduced without permission.', 'Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com']
Did the Same Person 'Die Twice' from COVID-19?