Texas Gov. Candidate Allen West Rails Against Vaccines While Hospitalized With COVID

Allen West, an unvaccinated Texas governor candidate, railed against "dangerous" COVID-19 vaccines while hospitalized with the coronavirus on Sunday.

West, a Republican, announced Saturday that he was taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which has not been approved to treat the virus. At the time, he said he was experiencing a low-grade fever and light body aches.

By Sunday, he was hospitalized with possible COVID-related pneumonia, he tweeted. He described his symptoms, saying his oxygen levels had slipped to 85, but had hit a normal range of 94 to 96 by Sunday. He was hospitalized at Medical City in Plano, north of Dallas.

West's wife Angela, who is vaccinated and also tested positive for the virus, underwent monoclonal antibody therapy but had been released from the hospital, he said.

He doubled down on his stance against vaccine mandates Sunday, writing that as governor, he would "vehemently crush anyone forcing vaccine mandates in the Lone Star State."

"I can attest that, after this experience, I am even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates. Instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, we should be advocating the monoclonal antibody infusion therapy," he wrote.

He added, "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."

Twitter users were quick to point out that monoclonal antibody treatments were both created by the pharmaceutical industry and are much more expensive than the COVID-19 vaccination, which has been scientifically proven to prevent serious illness from the virus.

"The Trump Admin was packed with Big Pharma Lobbyists : remember this as Charlatans like Allen West pretend to rail against #BigPharma as he takes super expensive Monoclonal Antibody Treatment instead of fraction of the cost vaccination," wrote Twitter user @b_kisan.

Regeneron's two-drug cocktail costs $1,250 per infusion, according to Healthline. Each dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is much cheaper, at only $20. Both treatments are paid for by the federal government, but the cocktail costs 62.5 times more than the vaccine.

GSK and Vir's monoclonal antibody costs $2,100 per infusion and is paid for by government payments, reimbursements, and GSK's copay program, according to Healthline.

West previously served as an Army lieutenant colonel until 2003 after serving in combat in both Iraq wars. He also served as a U.S. congressman in Florida in 2010 before losing to Democrat Patrick Murphy in 2012 and eventually moving to Texas.

He announced his candidacy challenging incumbent GOP Governor Greg Abbott in July, joining several other candidates hoping to unseat him He said his opposition to the Green New Deal and his desire to go after banks and finances behind illegal immigration are among his top reasons for running.

He has opposed vaccine and mask mandates throughout his campaign, slamming vaccine requirements in the military while speaking on WBAP in August. "If you're trying to order people to take a shot that you don't feel comfortable with, that's not an ethical order. That's not a moral order," he said.

The Texas GOP gubernatorial primary is set for March 2022, and the general election will take place November 8, 2022.

Health officials and scientists back the COVID-19 vaccine as the best way to avoid serious illness from the virus. Although vaccinated people sometimes contract the virus, the vaccine prevents serious illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Of the 707,065 COVID-19 deaths in the United States, only 6,617 have been among vaccinated people, according to the CDC