Allen West, the Republican contender for Texas’ governorship and former party chair, was hospitalized with COVID Saturday night.
And, true to form, West used the experience to campaign, writing after taking hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin and a monoclonal antibody treatment that he was demonstrating his opposition to “enriching the pockets of Big Pharma.”
“Our bodies are our last sanctuary of liberty and freedom, I will defend that for everyone, even the progressive socialist jackasses who must be saved from themselves,” West wrote Sunday. On Monday, he wondered why the government was promoting the COVID-19 vaccine, rather than monoclonal antibodies and several vitamins and medications that have not been approved for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.
“I am not a conspiracy theorist but something very nefarious is at work here,” West wrote.
West is unvaccinated. His vaccinated wife, Angela West, was also hospitalized with COVID, but was released to go home while her husband remained hospital-bound, Allen West tweeted.
Angela West tested positive for COVID on Friday, West’s campaign tweeted, preceding Allen West’s announcement the following day. The COVID news came soon after West’s campaign described a “packed house” at a fundraiser.
“I can attest that, after this experience, I am even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates,” West wrote from the hospital Sunday. “Instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we should be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy.”
But as the Washington Post pointed out, though monoclonal antibody treatments are free for patients, they aren’t free: The Biden administration last month announced a deal to purchase 1.4 million additional monoclonal antibody doses from Regeneron for $2.9 billion, or $2,100 per dose. Vaccines, on the other hand, cost the government around $20 per dose.
The antibody treatments, unlike hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, are currently approved for the treatment of COVID-19 under an emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. West tweeted, after announcing his wife’s COVID diagnosis, that he was “already taking Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin protocols,” though there are no FDA-approved protocols for taking the drugs to treat or prevent COVID-19.
“As Governor of Texas, I will vehemently crush anyone forcing vaccine mandates in the Lone Star State,” West added Sunday.
A former one-term congressman from Florida, West was known for inflammatory statements and social media posts, such as one on his Facebook page claiming that Donald Trump had picked James Mattis as his defense secretary to “exterminate” Muslims. West won a bid to lead the Texas Republican party in 2020. He resigned from that position in June and announced a primary challenge against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) the following month.
As party chair, West attended a QAnon-affiliated event where former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said a Myanmar-style coup “should happen” in the United States.
