'A severe flu?!': Prominent anti-restriction activist from B.C. falls ill, reports symptoms consistent with COVID-19
A prominent anti-restriction activist from B.C. who has been involved in a number of high-profile rallies against COVID-19 mitigation measures has disclosed he's fallen ill and has "never been more sick."
Ryan Kulbaba, who has fought against everything from masks in schools to the province's vaccine card, reported a wide range of symptoms on Facebook this week, including chills, body aches, coughing, fatigue, difficulty walking and soreness in his eyes.
While a number of commenters questioned whether he might have caught the novel coronavirus, which has been linked to those symptoms and others, Kulbaba did not address the possibility in his post.
"Maybe a severe flu?!?" he wrote.
"I don't know what the (expletive) I have but this is BY FAR the worst I've felt combined with the length of time being sick EVER. Holy (expletive)!!!!!!"
The activist, who helped organize the so-called B.C. Freedom Mega Rally in Vancouver last year and has been involved in several others since, said he had been sick for seven days straight as of Oct. 18.
A previous post indicated he was in close contact with other members of the movement on the evening of Oct. 12.
"Hands were shook, hugs were hugged, fences were mended, pasts were left in the past and apologies were said," he wrote.
Kulbaba's post prompted an outpouring of sympathy, with many of his thousands of followers offering non-medical advice for treating his symptoms, recommending remedies ranging from melatonin to vitamin C. Some also suggested he take the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which has not been proven to treat COVID-19.
"Ivermectin for horses comes in a paste. Take one-tenth of a tube a day," one commenter wrote, possibly in jest.
"Thanks for dose info," responded another.
Ivermectin prompted a warning from Health Canada over the summer following a spike in poison control centre calls regarding people who had taken the drug against medical advice.
"There is no evidence that ivermectin works to prevent or treat COVID-19, and it is not authorized for this use," Health Canada said at the time.
"Health Canada has not received any drug submission or applications for clinical trials for ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19."
CTV News reached out to Kulbaba for an update on his condition and to seek comment for the speculation on his illness, but has not heard back.
Warning: The following screenshot contains cursing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.