Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul shared a study Sunday that he said backs up his assertion that previously infected or vaccinated people are immune to coronavirus variants.
“Sorry Dr. Fauci and other fearmongers, new study shows vaccines and naturally acquired immunity DO effectively neutralize COVID variants,” Paul tweeted along with a link to the study. “Good news for everyone but bureaucrats and petty tyrants!” (RELATED: ‘You Parade Around In Two Masks For Show’: Sen. Rand Paul Questions Dr. Fauci On Wearing Masks After Vaccination)
Sorry Dr Fauci and other fearmongers, new study shows vaccines and naturally acquired immunity DO effectively neutralize COVID variants.
Good news for everyone but bureaucrats and petty tyrants!
Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants https://t.co/k4SKSfxLJh
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 21, 2021
An article explaining the study, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) network, stated that the people tested were either previously infected or vaccinated and were then exposed to four variants of the novel coronavirus.
“This study found neutralizing activity of infection- and vaccine-elicited antibodies against 4 SARS-CoV-2 variants, including B.1, B.1.1.7, and N501Y. Because neutralization studies measure the ability of antibodies to block virus infection, these results suggest that infection- and vaccine-induced immunity may be retained against the B.1.1.7 variant,” the study concluded.
Sen. Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci engaged in a heated exchange during a Thursday Senate hearing, in which Paul accused Fauci — who has been fully vaccinated — of wearing two masks for theater.
Fauci argued that those who had been previously vaccinated or infected should continue to wear masks out of concern over the rise of variants, but Paul later argued that it was a “noble lie” designed to prevent those who had not yet been vaccinated from refusing to wear masks.
“He is lying to you because he doesn’t think we are smart enough to make decisions,” he told Fox News host and Daily Caller cofounder Tucker Carlson during a Friday interview.