Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Wednesday questioned White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci over a 2004 clip of an interview he gave about whether vaccination is necessary after someone has been infected with the flu.
On C-SPAN in 2004, Fauci said that someone who had "the flu for 14 days" is "as protected as anybody can be because the best vaccination is to get infected yourself."
Paul claimed that this contradicted Fauci's recent comments recommending that parents vaccinate their children who have previously contracted COVID-19. Fauci denied this, saying that Paul was playing the clip without the proper context. He also referenced a report from Reuters that stated his comments about the flu were not in contradiction to his COVID-19 recommendations.
In response to Paul's claims that he was "denying the very fundamental premise of immunology," Fauci countered: "I have never, ever denied fundamental immunology. In fact, I wrote the chapter in the textbook of medicine on fundamental immunology."
Fauci added that while being infected is a "very potent way" to provide protection, a vaccine grants an "added, extra boost."
Paul went on to grill Fauci about whether he or anyone involved in the agency committees that authorize vaccines receive royalties from pharmaceutical companies and threatened "to change the rules" in order to force their divulgence if Republicans gain control of Congress.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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