NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee lawmaker who battled COVID-19 for nearly eight months is encouraging the public to "consider getting vaccinated."
Republican State Rep. David Byrd detailed his struggle with the virus in a lengthy statement Friday, describing how the disease put him in an intensive care unit on a ventilator for 55 days.
He said his family began planning his funeral.
The Republican lawmaker said he understands "the concerns of those who are hesitant" to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last June, Byrd joined many of the House GOP caucus in approving a resolution that declared the news media "sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas."