Rand Paul announces he's no longer positive for coronavirus, will volunteer at local hospital in Kentucky

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Tuesday that he was re-tested for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus — about two weeks after he was diagnosed despite being asymptomatic — and is no longer positive for the disease.

While it's uncertain to what extent and for how long people develop immunity after they recover from the virus, the consensus seems to be that people are protected for at least a little while. So, Paul, who is a physician, plans to volunteer at a local Kentucky hospital to lend an extra hand as health care systems around the country deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Paul was the first and, to date, only member of the Senate to test positive for COVID-19. He drew some criticism for taking a test despite a lack of symptoms amid a shortage of tests nationwide.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.