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A California social media prankster claims he was hospitalized with the coronavirus — just days after posting a video of himself licking a toilet bowl for a nauseating online challenge.
The TikTok personality, known as Larz, reportedly posted footage of himself in a hospital bed on Sunday, according to the Daily Mail.
“I tested positive for Coronavirus,” the 21-year-old from Beverly Hills tweeted on an account that has since been suspended, the outlet reported.
It comes just two days after the prankster, who goes by the social media handle GayShawnMendes, posted a video himself on Friday running his tongue across a public toilet as part of a bizarre — and widely criticized — “Coronavirus Challenge” on social media.
The craze — seen mainly on TikTok, a video-sharing platform — spurs users to post footage of themselves licking everything from toilets to grocery store produce.
It wasn’t clear whether Larz’s apparent infection was linked to the stunt.
It comes as the number of infected Americans soared past 55,500 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The virus has also caused more than 800 deaths across the country.
The social media influencer has previously appeared on the Dr. Phil show, where he drew criticism for boasting about how he’d licked tubs of ice cream before putting them back in store freezers, and claimed he made “lots of money” from his online following.
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