Name: Rand Paul says he doesn't have to wear face mask, claims coronavirus immunity
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Rand Paul says he doesn't have to wear face mask, claims coronavirus immunity

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Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsU.S. Sen. Rand Paul did not wear a face mask to&nbsp;a GOP Senate lunch Tuesday, saying he had and therefore has immunity.Multiple news outlets reported on the Kentucky Republican's comments from the lunch, including New York Times congressional correspondent Emily Cochrane."Of all the people you'll meet here, I'm about the only safe person in Washington," Paul said when asked why he was not wearing a mask. "I've already had (the) virus, so I can't get it again and can't&nbsp;give it to anybody."&nbsp;When reached for further comment, a&nbsp;Paul spokeswoman confirmed the senator's remarks Tuesday&nbsp;and&nbsp;said "I have to refer you to his comments."Tuesday evening, Paul took to Twitter to expand on his comments. In a thread of seven tweets he said "The fake news can’t stand that some people might not need to submit to the new authoritarianism of the left because they are immune to coronavirus. Modern science disagrees."&nbsp;He followed that tweet by saying "Modern medicine shows us that immunity is based on having antibodies. Why do they think medicine is trying so hard to get a coronavirus vaccine? Immunity. I have taken an antibody test and am positive for long term Covid-19 antibodies."&nbsp;Nearing the end of his thread, Paul had a message for New York citizens where over 321,000 have tested positive for the virus.&nbsp;"To the approximately 2 million New Yorkers and others who got coronavirus and survived, don’t let these busybodies tell you that you don’t have immunity. They want you to be lemmings and do as THEY see fit. RESIST," he said.&nbsp;Some officials and governments have suggested that individuals can only catch the virus once and cited&nbsp;that supposed immunity as they lift certain restrictions&nbsp;on businesses and travel.&nbsp;, the World Health Organization in April said it expected "that most people who are infected with COVID-19 will develop an antibody response that will provide some level of protection."But the WHO added in a statement:&nbsp;"What we don't yet know is the level of protection or how long it will last."Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said more testing is needed."I think it's important to emphasize that we haven't yet proven that once you develop antibodies, [you develop protective immunity]," he told NBC News last month. "It's still a scientific hypothesis that this virus will lead to protective immunity of some duration."Earlier:Sen. Rand Paul:Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, that people can&nbsp;get the coronavirus more than once., scientists identified a new strain of the coronavirus that&nbsp;appears to be more contagious than the versions that spread in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.Paul, Kentucky's junior senator, announced March 22 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, which made him the first member of the Senate to confirm contracting the disease.On April 7, Paul said he had beenThe CDC&nbsp; in most public settings to help slow the spread of the virus. Masks should not be placed on children under the age of 2, those with breathing issues or anyone who is unable to remove the mask without assistance, according to the CDC.Paul is not the only elected official&nbsp;to face some scrutiny for not wearing a mask recently, with and apologizing after not donning the protective gear in separate incidents.After announcing his positive test in March, Paul faced a swift backlash from colleagues and others&nbsp;after it was reported he&nbsp;had lunch with other lawmakers and went swimming in the Senate gym while awaiting the test results.Physician Deborah Birx, who leads&nbsp;the White House coronavirus task force,&nbsp;suggested in March that Paul&nbsp;had not been adhering to the federal government’s social distancing guidelines.More:churchgoersEarlier:But Paul defended himself, saying he would not have been tested nor quarantined under federal guidelines at the time.He because of concerns about complications from&nbsp;lung surgery last year that was needed&nbsp;after a&nbsp;. And Paul added that "my wife and I had traveled extensively during the weeks prior to COVID-19 social distancing practices."No other senators have since announced positive tests for the coronavirus, though several after possibly coming into contact with Paul or others&nbsp;infected with&nbsp;COVID-19.Paul and other senators returned to Washington this week after another Bluegrass State Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, While Senate Democrats have aired concerns about reconvening amid the pandemic, McConnell has brushed aside the complaints and said he is focused on confirming executive and judicial nominees.This story has been updated to include the WHO's revised statement.Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.View Comments

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsU.S. Sen. Rand Paul did not wear a face mask to&nbsp;a GOP Senate lunch Tuesday, saying he had and therefore has immunity.Multiple news outlets reported on the Kentucky Republican's comments from the lunch, including New York Times congressional correspondent Emily Cochrane."Of all the people you'll meet here, I'm about the only safe person in Washington," Paul said when asked why he was not wearing a mask. "I've already had (the) virus, so I can't get it again and can't&nbsp;give it to anybody."&nbsp;When reached for further comment, a&nbsp;Paul...

Rand Paul says he doesn't have to wear face mask, claims coronavirus immunity

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