Unvaccinated Cape Official, Trump Supporter, Dies Of COVID-19

BOURNE, MA — A former Bourne selectwoman who promoted conspiracy theories about the coronavirus as a member of a pro-Trump group on Cape Cod died from complications from COVID-19.

Linda Zuern, who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, was 70. According to the Cape Cod Times, which first reported this story, Zuren contracted the virus following a trip to visit her mother in South Dakota. Both women tested positive for the coronavirus; Zuern's mother survived.

Before her death, Zuern spent months promoting conspiracy theories about the pandemic on her Facebook page. She shared articles accusing the World Health Organization of covering up the "Wuhan Virus" and falsely claiming the pandemic is a cover for "globalists" to create a one world government.

Zuern was a member of the pro-Trump group, the United Cape Patriots. She was one of the first members and frequently helped the group hold standouts at the Bourne rotary in support of the former president, Adam Lange, the group's founder, told the Cape Cod Times. Lange was also one of four people who protested last week in opposition to the state VaxBus program. The program is helping distribute vaccines in Provincetown, following a recent outbreak in town, where more than 130 people contracted the virus.

"She did so much work on the conservative movement on the Cape," Lange told the Cape Cod Times.

Zuern was born in Shattuck, Oklahoma, to Elden and Norma Zuern and later moved to South Dakota. When she was 9, her family moved to Quincy. She earned her bachelor's degree at Bridgewater State University and her master's at Lesley University before eventually moving to Bourne.

Zuern became known for volunteering and serving on various boards and committees in town. During her time in Bourne, Zuern served on the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Board, the School Committee, Board of Library Trustees, the Historical Society and the Bourne Youth Council.

Selectman Chair Peter Meir served with Zuern. Although he didn't agree with her politics, Meir said Zuern cared for and gave a lot to the Bourne community, according to the Times.