Tennessee Republican anti-masker begs people to get vaccinated after he became a COVID long-hauler

Tennessee Rep. David Byrd, a Republican, didn't just get COVID-19, he has become one of the many suffering from the long-hauler's form of the deadly virus.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that after having the virus for 8 months, he's begging people to get vaccinated because no one should have to deal with what he has.

"It is a disease that wants to kill us," Byrd said in a statement Friday. He explained that he spent 55 days on a ventilator while the virus destroyed his memory, his muscles and his organs. He ultimately was forced to have a liver transplant in June.

The report explained that things were so bad that his family began organizing his funeral.

"This is not an issue that should divide us," he begged people to understand.

In June 2020, he supported a resolution that accused the media of sensationalizing the pandemic. Last year, he thought there was a political agenda behind the media coverage. This year, he knows better.

Read the full report at the Washington Post.