Veteran, former Congressman, and former Republican Party of Texas chairman Allen West is running for governor. He is challenging Governor Abbott in the Republican primary. Saturday he announced that both he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. West’s oxygen level was low enough for hospital admittance.

West is not vaccinated but his wife is vaccinated against COVID-19. This appears to be a case study of the benefit of being vaccinated. West was hospitalized and his wife was not. While he tried to blow it off as no big deal, any kind of pneumonia is a big deal and has to be treated as such. A series of tweets informed his followers of his diagnosis and that of his wife. He wanted to announce that he was suspending live events until he has recovered.

1/ After taking COVID and flu shots, Angela West tested positive for COVID yesterday, Friday. Col. West is experiencing a low grade fever and light body aches. Out of concern for public health, Col. West is suspending in-person events until receiving an all-clear indication. pic.twitter.com/Cwpc2XkWVG

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 9, 2021

Just two days before, West was at a well-attended event. The photos show what looks to be a luncheon or dinner fundraiser. The attendees do not appear to be masked.

It is a packed house here at the Mission Generation Annual Gala & Fundraiser! We will be posting video at a later time, so stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/LB1nBqVtIt

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 8, 2021

One tweet said that West was taking Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin protocols. Angela was not admitted to the hospital but West was. They both received monoclonal antibody infusion therapy. Obviously, he didn’t want to alarm his supporters. Downplaying pneumonia was ill-advised, though. No one falls for that.

2/ My chest X-rays do show COVID pneumonia, not serious. I am probably going to be admitted to the hospital.

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 9, 2021

West is doing what many who reject the COVID-19 vaccines are doing – citing personal freedom and concerns for government overreach. West is running a campaign at least partly on COVID-19 and how Governor Abbott has managed the pandemic in Texas. West doesn’t think Abbott should have locked down the state even for the short amount of time he did, compared to other states. West is against vaccine and mask mandates but so is Abbott. The difference is that Abbott is vaccinated and leaves masking up to individuals while West chooses to do nothing under the pretext of fighting – he’s a fighter. What about all the people at that fundraiser that he may have exposed to COVID-19? It looks like he certainly infected his vaccinated wife with a breakthrough case.

He tweets this morning from a hospital bed in Plano and is doubling down on his anti-vax rhetoric.

1/ Good Sunday morning everyone! Greetings from Medical City, Plano, Tx, where I had a great night's sleep, especially after watching Texas A&M upset Alabama! pic.twitter.com/p2dZdpUGlO

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 10, 2021

6/ Instead of jabbing Americans, and not illegal immigrants, with a dangerous shot which injects them with these spike proteins . . . guess what? I now have natural immunity and double the antibodies, and that's science.

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 10, 2021

The average person may not have access to the antibody infusion which is not free like the COVID-19 vaccine is and the infusion shots are expensive. He campaigns on medical freedom and often says he won’t participate in enriching Big Pharma. Where does he think that antibody infusion comes from?

In a videotaped message on his campaign website about “medical freedom,” West questioned why, “if everything is on the up and up,” people have to sign legal-liability waivers when they get the COVID-19 vaccines.

“You should be making decisions about your body, not a government, and certainly not a government agency,” he says. “Here in the great state of Texas, I will never, ever support mandates of vaccines or mandates of masks or anything.”

West adds, “I will not stand with any business that says that is a condition of employment that you have to receive a vaccination.”

If West wants to reject the COVID-19 vaccine, that’s his choice. Other conservatives do, as well as some in the Democrat Party, like a disproportionately large percentage of African-Americans. Being vaccinated gives people a chance to avoid hospitalization and more severe cases of COVID-19. If West wants to boast about having antibodies now to fight COVID-19 he can but he also received an infusion to supply those antibodies to his system, which not every non-vaccinated person will have access to. It just all sounds a bit too much like he’s playing politics instead of honestly campaigning for office. He won’t win the Republican primary against Governor Abbott. Abbott has been endorsed by Trump. Abbott has a large war chest and the benefits of the incumbency. West sounds out of touch. Perhaps he should reflect a bit on attacking Democrats as much as he does other Texas Republicans.

I wish him and his wife a speedy recovery.