Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he does not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine because he has already been infected and believes his natural antibodies are sufficient protection.
Speaking with John Catsimatidis on his WABC 770 AM radio show in an interview that aired Sunday, Paul said he has yet to see sufficient evidence to convince him a vaccine is necessary if someone already survived the disease, according to the New York Post.
“Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ve already had the disease and I have natural immunity,” said Paul, who received his M.D. from Duke University in 1988.
“In a free country, you would think people would honor the idea that each individual would get to make the medical decision, that it wouldn’t be a big brother coming to tell me what I have to do,” Paul continued.
“Are they also going to tell me I can’t have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me that I have to eat carrots only and cut my calories?” the libertarian Republican asked rhetorically. “All that would probably be good for me, but I don’t think big brother ought to tell me to do it.”
Paul was the first known senator to contract COVID-19 when he tested positive in March 2020.
Paul has repeatedly questioned the received wisdom of medical experts throughout the pandemic and has pushed back especially against some of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s assertions.
Most recently, Paul grilled Fauci about grant money from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that allegedly went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a lab from which some believe the COVID-19 virus might have leaked.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends those who have already had COVID-19 to get the vaccine:
Yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Learn more about why getting vaccinated is a safer way to build protection than getting infected.
If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Experts are still learning more about how long vaccines protect against COVID-19 in real-world conditions. CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.