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Rand Paul slammed as 'ignorant' for asking recovered Covid-19 patients to 'ditch masks and go to restaurants'

'Wanna see a crazy person? Here’s Rand Paul telling people to go party who’ve already had Covid-19. Irresponsible and negligent. Every day I’m ashamed he represents Kentucky,' a user wrote

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, November 12, urged all those who have recovered from the coronavirus to immediately throw away their masks and go "celebrate" in public claiming they are now "immune". The Senator said, "We have 11 million people in our country who have already had Covid-19. 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".

Paul's claim that people who have recovered from Covid-19 are immune comes at a time when most states are experiencing new record levels of the virus and surging hospitalization rates. The Kentucky Republican’s advice also comes after confirmed cases of reinfection in the US and abroad have been noted. Doctors and infectious disease experts have also warned that there is no evidence to suggest that those who have had the virus are immune from future infections.

Paul, who was previously called out by infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci for spouting falsehoods about the coronavirus, defended his claim about becoming immune to the virus saying, "Dr. Fauci doesn’t want to admit to any of that [immunity]. Dr. Fauci is like 'Oh, woe is me.'"

Reactions

One user posted the video of Paul's interview with the caption, "Rand Paul: We have 11 million people in our country who have already had Covid-19. 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)," while another wrote, "Rand Paul is telling people that if they already had Covid-19, they are immune. THAT IS A LIE. He should have his medical license revoked, and he should be censured by the Senate. And call his neighbor."

Another user said, "Wanna see a crazy person? Here’s Rand Paul telling people to go party who’ve already had COVID. Irresponsible and negligent. Every day I’m ashamed he represents Kentucky. He stalled anti-lynching legislation recently. Not working for anyone I know," while a different user tweeted, "This may be the most ignorant statement Rand Paul has ever made. And that’s saying something." Another, criticizing Paul, said, "Rand Paul is claiming 11 million people in our country are IMMUNE to #COVID19. My friend had the virus, tested positive for antibodies a few months ago, & re-tested last week, and now does NOT have the antibodies. Senator Paul is tragically misinforming the American public."