On Sunday, congressman Rand Paul said that he would not get vaccinated as he has already recovered from COVID-19. The Centers for Diseases Control recommends that those who have already recovered from the coronavirus should also get vaccinated. The reasons mentioned by them include the facts that experts don’t know the period for which a person can be protected and whether they can get infected again. There are also new variants as the virus mutates and these may infect an individual who has already recovered from the infection. Vaccines offer protection from various strains.
Senator Paul was talking to John Catsimatidis on his talk show WABC 770 AM radio program and said that he had made his personal decision not to get vaccinated as he had already recovered from a coronavirus infection and that he had natural immunity. He also said that he needed to see evidence that those who were infected in the past were dying in large numbers or were getting very sick or were getting hospitalized before deciding to get vaccinated.
He told the billionaire Cats Roundtable host that in a free country, people should honor the idea that each individual would get to make the medical decision.
On the other hand, the coronavirus is not an infection that affects an individual such as cancer or diabetes or more. It is a highly transmissible infection and asymptomatic people unknowingly, ignorantly, and innocently transmit the infection from one individual to many.
Adam Kinzinger, the Republican Representative from Illinois called out the senator for his comments saying, “So brave…such a leader…so manly.”
In March 2020, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the first senator to get infected with COVID-19. Since, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that about one fourth of congress is still resisting vaccination while the others have been vaccinated so far.
Although there are still quite a few Americans who are still hesitant, the Biden administration is working hard to get them onboard the mass vaccine effort. The CDC said that those who have been fully vaccinated can discard masks both outdoors and indoors except in certain crowded areas. Incentives are also offered but the vaccine rollout is slowing down in America due to individual hesitancy.
Photo:Gage Skidmore
