Tennessee GOP Rep. David Byrd is urging people to get vaccinated after his 8-month battle with COVID-19, seemingly changing his tune from his previous behavior regarding the pandemic.
Byrd revealed on Friday that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late November and hospitalized in December, when he was put on a ventilator for 55 days.
Prior to that, he voted on a resolution that accused the media of sensationalizing the virus, as Insider reports, and spent time at a House Republicans retreat last November involving boat tours and barbecues, despite many people being unmasked as cases continued to rise.
“Up until this point in my life, I’ve been pretty healthy and active. Foolishly, I believed this virus only seriously affected people who are at high risk,” he said in the statement shared by NewsChannel 5 Nashville.
Byrd said his family had to consider a funeral as he was placed on a ventilator with pneumonia late last year, when he said “every breath was pure agony.” He then faced liver failure when his lungs improved and also had to spend time at a rehabilitation facility.
“I have never been against taking the Covid-19 vaccine, but I understand the concerns of those who are hesitant. To them, I would say Covid is real and it is very dangerous,” he said.“… It is a disease that wants to kill us. Please take it seriously. Please consider getting vaccinated. This is an issue that should not divide us.”
The politician was previously accused of sexually assaulting three women when he was their high school basketball coach. Byrd said couldn’t remember the incidents they described.
