Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is suggesting that those who have been infected with COVID-19 and survived “throw away their masks” — a claim that clashes with what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises.
Paul — who previously tested positive for the coronavirus — said during Thursday evening’s Fox News interview, “We have over 11 million people in our country who have already had COVID, we should tell them to celebrate.”
He added, “We should tell them to throw away their masks go to restaurants, live again — because these people are now immune.” It is an incorrect claim that all of those who survived COVID-19 are immune, according to health experts.
The CDC says on people being re-infected with the virus, “Persons who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 can be re-infected,” adding, “The immune response, including duration of immunity, to SARS-CoV-2 infection is not yet understood.”
The CDC also notes, “At this time, whether you have had COVID-19 or not, the best ways to prevent infection are to wear a mask in public places, stay at least 6 feet away from other people, frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and avoid crowds and confined spaces.”
See Paul’s comments below:
Rand Paul: We have 11 million people in our country who have already had COVID. We should tell them to celebrate. We should tell them to throw away their masks, go to restaurants, and live again because these people are now immune(they are not immune) pic.twitter.com/Un2CQ1b5Tg
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 13, 2020
Paul also took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci — a member of the White House coronavirus task force and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Dr. Fauci doesn’t want to admit to any of that. Dr. Fauci is like, ‘Oh woe is me’,” Paul said. “Until the election occurs and now maybe he’ll be changing his attitude.”
The senator also claimed, “I think he’s biased in the sense that he believes in government solutions. He believes that submission and lockdowns are fine, he’s not too worried about individual liberties.”
To be clear, Rand Paul is talking about Dr. Fauci here, not Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/zd9FTPbvu2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 13, 2020
Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist at the University of Washington Medical Center, told MSNBC in response to Paul’s remarks claiming that COVID-19 survivors are immune, “I don’t know why he would say that…There is no evidence that if you’ve been infected with COVID-19 that you are immune from reinfection for any period of time.”