For Lucy, a 59-year-old metastatic breast cancer patient from Washington state, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was a matter of life and death. After undergoing aggressive chemotherapy for months, the coronavirus almost certainly would have killed her. Yet as relief washed over her upon receiving her final Pfizer dose in March, she knew shed have to keep it to herself. Her husband had begged her not to get the shot.

At the outset of the pandemic, Lucys husband and partner of seven years, Shane, was as cautious as anyone about the virus. He kept a big container of hand sanitizer in the car and fanatically washed his hands, keys and other items. He wore a face mask everywhere he went, showered and changed his clothes immediately upon returning home from necessary outings, and was anxious for Lucy and her elderly mother, who lives with them, to get vaccinated as soon as possible due to their heightened vulnerabilities.

But as the crisis dragged on, 60-year-old Shane spent months cooped up inside on YouTube and Facebook , where a vortex of coronavirus conspiracy theory videos was waiting for him. Many declared that the virus was nothing to fear that it was the vaccines he should really be afraid of. Before long, he was also tuning into the increasingly malicious disinformation networks Newsmax and OAN, which regularly rehashed the lies hed been fed online. He was completely enthralled, Lucy said, and over time, his worldview did a 180.

Among other delusions, Shane is now steadfastly convinced that the COVID-19 outbreak was orchestrated by government-allied forces, the coronavirus is no more harmful than the flu, and the vaccines alter recipients DNA condemning them to slowly perish.

Shane also believes that those whove been vaccinated can shed deadly toxins onto unvaccinated people in their vicinity. He fled the house when one of Lucys vaccinated adult sons from her previous marriage came to visit around Memorial Day of this year. Since returning more than a week afterward, he has confined himself to the basement and insisted that Lucys children never come back, lest they shed.

He still doesnt know Lucy is immunized; she hides her vaccine card in a safety deposit box.

Everything fell apart last year, said Lucy, who also snuck her mother out to get her shots behind Shanes back. I dont even know who he is anymore.