I believe he’s alive, but only technically. My guess is he’s a vegetable hooked up to life support until they’ve stalled enough. Then they’ll pull the plug and let him die.
If he were as able-bodied as those doctored PR photos make him look, a quick press conference, or a zoom call with the governor would quickly put the matter to rest. But they aren’t doing that and it speaks volumes.
Personally I think he's awake, but his brain is toast to the point that he can't form a sentence. If he were in a vegetative state hooked up to machines then that would mean the photo they released was fake, which no reputable organization is claiming, and in my opinion would have been a wildly unnecessary risk for them to take. Not saying it's above them to fake a photo, but I just don't think the risk vs reward calculus was there for something so likely to blow up in their faces.
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u/SnooDoggos5226 3h ago
Not dead, but I’m assuming severe dementia or loss of cognitive function that would render him unable to perform.