Sen. Rand Paul Recovers from Coronavirus, Now Volunteering at Hospital

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Tuesday that he has recovered from the coronavirus and has started volunteering at a hospital in his Kentucky hometown.

The Republican lawmaker tested positive for the virus in March, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the US Senate.

"I appreciate all the best wishes I have received," Paul said Tuesday. "I have been retested and I am negative. I have started volunteering at a local hospital to assist those in my community who are in need of medical help, including coronavirus patients. Together we will overcome this."

Paul, an eye surgeon, is volunteering at TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital in his hometown of Bowling Green while the Senate is on a break amid the coronavirus outbreak. Paul worked in emergency rooms early in his career as a physician, his office said.

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The junior senator from Kentucky posted a photo of himself in a tweet on Tuesday in his doctor's attire. 

"I appreciate all the best wishes I have received. I have been retested and I am negative. I have started volunteering at a local hospital to assist those in my community who are in need of medical help, including Coronavirus patients. Together we will overcome this!" Paul wrote.

I appreciate all the best wishes I have received. I have been retested and I am negative. I have started volunteering at a local hospital to assist those in my community who are in need of medical help, including Coronavirus patients. Together we will overcome this! pic.twitter.com/9SeypT7rL6

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 7, 2020

One follower answered the senator's tweet, "Thank God! Glad you are ok. We need you!"

Another follower wrote, "God bless you Senator Paul. You're a great statesman and patriot!"

And another user replied, "God bless you Sir."

The hospital's CEO, Mike Sherrod, said Tuesday that the senator is "lifting the spirits of patients and our colleagues" by volunteering.

"We appreciate Senator Paul and his support in recognizing our healthcare workers and providers at TriStar Greenview for their unwavering response to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a statement.

Paul went into quarantine at home in Kentucky after learning his initial test results were positive for COVID-19 in March. 

Paul said last month that he took the initial test because of his extensive travel prior to the start of social-distancing practices and because he's at a higher risk for serious complications from the virus. The senator had part of a lung removed last year in a procedure he says stemmed from injuries he suffered when a neighbor violently attacked him and broke his ribs outside his Kentucky home in 2017.

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