Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) made headlines on July 29 when he tested positive for COVID-19 during a screening to board Air Force One with President Donald Trump to visit Midland.
On Friday in Tyler, Gohmert said he feels “better than before I had it” and said vaccines and cures are close, but need to be tested more for side effects.
“It would be great if we could get a vaccine or cure and that will be awesome,” Gohmert told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “And I think the possibility from what I am hearing is there, but we don’t want to rush it and have a vaccine that causes us more problems than it fixes.”
Gohmert said once he found out he had COVID-19 he started taking hydroxychloroquine, which originally was used to treat and prevent malaria but was also FDA-approved for treating autoimmune conditions.
“I know there is a lot of reluctance to use hydroxychloroquine and the regime, but I also used the z-pack and zinc and I had a steroid nebulizer prescribed,” Gohmert said.
On Friday, Gohmert wore a mask from the time he parked his car and walked from the parking garage at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances hospital in Tyler to an outdoor reception for a new cancer wing and back to his car hours later. The only time he removed the mask was when he did a socially distanced interview with a reporter. A family member approached him to say ‘hi’ just before the interview took place after he removed his mask, but he put it right back on.
Gohmert said he’s “glad to be on the other side” and said he gave plasma once and was notified he is eligible to give plasma again.
Trump said he hopes to see a vaccine in October. The CDC this week said it could be mid-2021.
“They are moving back those dates and one of the reasons is, from what I understand, they want to make sure the adverse effects may not outweigh the benefits,” Gohmert said. “They want to make sure if there are any bumps in that road at all, they will pause, wait, and make sure it’s not the medication or something else causing the problem.”