Covid-19: Man who claimed 'coronavirus is hoax' changes mind after contracting virus

Brian Hitchens used to be sceptical about coronavirus but he has changed his mind. Photo / WPTV

A man who claimed Covid-19 was a hoax and a government powerplay has changed his mind after being rushed to hospital with the disease.

Florida man Brian Hitchens previously said he believed the pandemic was fake, stating "God is bigger than this virus will ever be".

But Hitchens and his wife with soon both hospitalised after contracting Covid-19.

He's now urging people to take it seriously and follow guidelines in a bid to stay safe.

"I thought it was maybe the government trying something, and it was kind of like they threw it out there to kinda distract us," he told WPTV from his hospital bed.

Brian Hitchens used to be sceptical about coronavirus but he has changed his mind. Photo / WPTV

"I'd get up in the morning and pray and trust in God for his protection, and I'd just leave it at that. There were all these masks and gloves. I thought it looks like a hysteria.

"I don't want to see anyone go through what I went through."

Brian and his wife have been hospitalised with the virus. Photo / WPTV

He wrote on Facebook: "This wasn't some scare tactic that anybody was using. It wasn't some made-up thing. This was a real virus you gotta take seriously."

Hitchens' wife has been on a ventilator for three weeks, which he says is "tough and sad".

He and his wife are both still hospitalised at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.

Hitchens and his wife aren't able to see each other, and neither is sure when they'll be discharged.