After lengthy battle with virus, Tennessee lawmaker urges vaccinations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A Tennessee lawmaker who battled COVID-19 for nearly eight months is encouraging the public to “consider getting vaccinated.”
Republican Rep. David Byrd detailed his struggle with the virus in a lengthy statement Friday, describing how the disease put him in an intensive care unit on a ventilator for 55 days. He says his family began planning his funeral.
The Republican lawmaker says he understands “the concerns of those who are hesitant” to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last June, Byrd joined many of the House GOP caucus in approving a resolution that declared the news media “sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas.”
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI, Associated Press
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