Joe Giudice. Daily Mail photo

By Nehru Odeh

It sounds the funniest joke of the century but Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Joe Giudice was dead serious when he said Viagra kills more people than Coronavirus.

As reported by Dail Mail Giudice, who has been living in Italy since last year awaiting deportation ruling, shared footage of himself walking down the empty street of his new home in Sala Consilina, Italy, angrily complaining about the virus, “determined to work”, and saying that the constraints were “ridiculous.”

Ever since Corvid-19 started spreading across the globe, Italy has become the country hardest hit by it outside of China with more than 10,000 cases and 631 deaths at the latest official count. In a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus, the Italian government has enforced unprecedented measures. The entire country is on lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus, trapping millions inside the nation. Universities and schools have been shut.

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“More people die from Viagra (heart attacks and drug overdose) everyday than this Corona virus ??,” the estranged husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice began on Instagram. “People here are frantic because government is ridiculous with ??down !!!! Sorry Lock down not for me Never again !!!!!,” he said, referring to his 41-month prison stint.

He then went on, “Stay safe ?? eat healthy, exercise, and no shaking and ?? ??! #coronavirus #staysafeoutthere #lockdownnotcool #awarenessiskey #washhands.”

In the accompanying video, the father of four turned the camera to his Italian neighborhood, saying the streets currently resemble a “ghost town.”

For Giudice, the stay-at- home order is simply “ridiculous”. “Literally nobody out because of this stupid coronavirus,” he said. “It’s, like, ridiculous. People are so scared, unbelievable. Grow a set of cojones. Jesus, this is ridiculous.”

However, available reports show coronavirus, which is currently on rampage across the globe, is more fatal than Viagra. While there isn’t much data on the current Viagra death toll, Psychology Today reports that in the decade between 1998 — the year Viagra was approved — and 2007, the erectile dysfunction medication killed 1,824 people, while the death rate for coronavirus has already surpassed 4,000 globally in a matter of months, according to CNN.

U.S. researchers found 2,200 deaths linked to erectile dysfunction drugs, based on reports to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology from 2000 to 2010. More than 116,000 people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide with over 4,000 deaths since it surfaced in China late last year, according to the World Health Organization. It has spread to more than 100 nations.

Giudice, 47, was sent back to his native Italy in October to await a final decision in his deportation case. He has been living in the small town of Sala Consilina, his birthplace, since last year, as he awaits a decision in his deportation case after never applying for U.S. citizenship.