An Indiana Congressman who faced national criticism for comments he made about the coronavirus pandemic in April tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies last month.
Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana, said Monday he tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies in June. The two-term congressman represents Indiana’s Ninth Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district encompasses Johnson County, as well as Bloomington and southern Indiana counties surrounding Louisville.
Hollingsworth thinks he had COVID-19 in March—when cases of the respiratory illness began spreading across the country rapidly—and he displayed very mild symptoms, he said. He did not get tested for the disease at the time because testing was in short supply then, and he never had severe enough symptoms to warrant a trip to the hospital, he said.
When he started displaying the symptoms, he quarantined in his home in Jeffersonville, Indiana from March to April, he said.
In mid-April, Hollingsworth faced national criticism for a comment he made in an interview with WIBC, an Indianapolis radio station, saying that choosing to send Americans back to work during the pandemic is the “lesser of two evils.”
Hollingsworth and his family were tested for the antibodies last month, and he was the only one who tested positive. He could not describe his initial reaction when he found out he did in fact have COVID-19, but he knew he wanted to use his antibodies to help others, he said.
“I don’t know if I had a specific reaction. My first thought was how can I use this to help our country?” Hollingsworth said.
So, Hollingsworth donated convalescent plasma Monday at the Kentucky Blood Center in Louisville. People who possess the COVID-19 antibodies are now being encouraged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Red Cross to donate plasma because it can be used to help patients with severe cases of COVID-19, according to the Red Cross website.
“I found out that I had a substantial presence of antibodies in my system, so I could donate and hopefully help others,” Hollingsworth said. “That’s what we’re all trying to do, whether it’s by wearing masks or by social distancing.”
Knowing he had the disease does not change his views, Hollingsworth said. The country still needs to find a path forward to move past the pandemic safely, he said.
His views have been reinforced by Americans finding safe ways to continue with their lives, whether it be wearing masks in public or local businesses installing plexiglass sneeze guards, he said.
“What I have seen is America trying to move forward … and not because coronavirus has gone away completely, but because we know we can find safe ways to get together, safe ways to go back to work, safe ways to power our economy forward,” Hollingsworth said.
He said those who have been critical of him are looking at his previous comments too simplistically, as if there are only two options:Â staying at home or going out and dying.
“The answer can’t be let’s do nothing and stay in our homes,” Hollingsworth said.
“To say we can either stay in our homes until a vaccine is distributed … or you go to work and die, I think that is overly simplistic … it negates the work of our physicians and so many of our companies and so many of our employees who are working to find a way to go back to work safely, to go to religious ceremonies safely, to be able to find a way to ensure that we can enjoy somewhat of a normal life while doing so safely.”
