Controversy over Trump COVID claims: local woman who lost husband reacts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Norma Waters-Laun held photos in her hand, turning her wedding ring as she described her husband.

“Right after 9/11 he was working for the Salvation Army,” Waters-Laun said. “He went up to New York City, and he helped set up the feeding program.”

Her husband, Walter Laun Sr., or “Skip,” died at the age of 75 on September 26, 2020 from the coronavirus.

“It’s just something that’s very very close to my heart,” Waters-Laun said. “I lost my husband — the love of my life.

”Waters-Laun reached out to Action News Jax reporter, Meghan Moriarty, after seeing President Donald Trump remove his mask on television and claim COVID-19 was nothing to be afraid of. We first told you about this last week when the President was diagnosed with the virus. Waters-Laun said she felt it was important to share her husband’s story and warn others that the virus is still very real.

“Everybody does not have access to a team of doctors for one person,” Waters-Laun said, referencing Trump’s treatment. “They don’t have access to all the different experimental drugs that he [Trump] had. The common man is just going to be out there suffering.”

As of October 9, 2020 there were 474 deaths in Duval County, according to the Florida Department of Health. Of those,113 were nonresidents. In total, 1,160 people have been hospitalized. However, deaths in Florida are slowly trending down, with a low of 7 deaths on October 8.

″We need to be careful, and we need to remain vigilant," Dr. Elizabeth Ransom with Baptist Health said. “Wearing masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing is still just as important as ever. It’s important to remember that it is still out there.”

Cox Media Group