The big picture: Nunes has faced criticism for downplaying the seriousness of the virus. In March, he encouraged healthy people to “go out” despite the advice of public health experts for people to stay home.
What they’re saying: Nunes told radio host Ray Appleton, “I just spent the last couple hours giving blood plasma and it was painless,” adding, “So I actually tested positive for the COVID antibodies.”
- “So that means you had it?” Appleton responded. “Yeah,” Nunes said.
Of note: Per the Centers for Disease Control, “A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance that a positive result means you have antibodies from an infection with a different virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses).”