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How sick is Mitch McConnell? Shocking footage shows bandaid on hands and blue lips: ‘What’s up with bruises?’

A few Twitter users with medical background pointed out that it looked like the result of blood thinners and trauma of some kind

What's wrong with Mitch McConnell's hands? A barrage of tweets like that erupted on social media after an Associated Press-distributed photograph captured the Senate Majority Leader standing with bruised and discolored hands. As per a Daily Mail report, the 78-year-old turned up to work with both hands severely discolored in deep purple and band-aids over his knuckle areas.

Clicked two days ago, the photo was captioned: "Hands of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are seen as he talks to the media after the Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington on October 20, 2020. Photo by Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Sipa USA." The Kentucky Republican's lips and the area surrounding his mouth was also discolored and seemed to appear like a deep blue bruise.

After a string of comments surfaced online about his ill health, he brushed off the questions and told reporters he is healthy on Thursday, October 22. "But I'm serious, is there anything going on we should know about?" a concerned reporter quizzed McConnell about his health in an off-camera interaction. Dodging the question, he snapped, "Of course not!"

Many people can't stop wondering if he has contracted Covid-19 – especially after President Donald Trump was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier this month – after a serious outbreak at the White House during Amy Coney Barrett's convocation ceremony in the Rose Garden. One physician consulted by Daily Mail speculated the bruising could be a combination of McConnell taking anticoagulation medication and experiencing "repetitive trauma."

On Twitter, many people were worried about his condition. "What. The. F**K. is happening to Mitch Mcconnell?" one tweet read and another said, "Oh s**t those Mitch McConnell pics are real I thought they were fake, lmao." A third mocked him, "Uh oh @senatemajldr looks like you're rotting from the inside out."

"How sick are you REALLY? That is coumadin bleeding under the skin. BYPASS is only good for 15 years and must be re-done, but with triple-bypass, no more veins probably left for another bypass. Coumadin is for AFib or to prevent blood clots! FULL DISCLOSURE!!!" one Twitter user posted and another said, "What’s up with all of the bruises? How sick are you?"

A few Twitter users with medical background pointed out that it looked like the result of blood thinners and trauma of some kind, but not an illness. "Doctor here: Nothing is wrong with Mitch McConnell's hands, he's old, likely on blood thinners, and has something called Senile Purpura, where he bleeds/bruises more d/t reduced clotting. It's so common MOST older folks have it somewhere, and not something to shame people for," one tweet read.

The health concerns also drew a reaction from the Democratic party. "It's understandable that Senator McConnell might not want to discuss questions about his health so close to an election," Marisa McNee, a spokesperson for Kentucky Democratic Party, told Buzzfeed News. "But as Senate Majority Leader, he is a public figure which requires more disclosure and transparency than just the average private person."

She added, "It's not clear why he's suddenly become so secretive, but we certainly wish him well and hope he is okay." The senator is currently up for re-election in Kentucky and his opponent is Democratic candidate Amy McGrath, who currently trails him by nine points according to the most recent state poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy.