Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has become a topic of conversation online after a photograph showing him receiving an injection went viral.
Paul has been outspoken about not choosing to get the Covid-19 vaccine, citing having “already had the disease” as his reasoning.
However, as the picture spread on Twitter, users quickly began to assume that the injection Paul is receiving in the photo was the Covid-10 vaccine. Here is everything you need to know about the picture and the story behind it…
Is Rand Paul vaccinated?
Rand Paul, a Senator from Kentucky, has been outspoken about his refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine, stating that he has already had the virus and therefore feels he has “natural immunity.”
In May 2021, Rand Paul told talk radio station WABC:
“Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers, or being hospitalised or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ve already had the disease and I have natural immunity.”
However, people have been left confused after a photograph showing Paul receiving an injection went viral online. Many have assumed that the injection Paul is getting in the picture is the Covid-19 vaccine.
Others pointed out that the nurse administering the injection in the photograph is not wearing a mask, so the picture is most likely from before the pandemic.
In fact, the photo is from February 2015 and was taken by Jeremy W. Peters from The New York Times. Paul can actually be seen receiving a hepatitis A booster shot in the Capitol physician’s office.
Rand Paul vaccination memes spread on Twitter
In other news, What is ‘Why were you being rude’ on TikTok? Viral video and meme explored