West says he, wife both have COVID

Tea party firebrand Allen West, a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor of Texas, said he has received monoclonal antibody injections after being diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia.

The antibodies are used to treat people in the early stages of a coronavirus infection.

“My chest X-rays do show COVID pneumonia, not serious. I am probably going to be admitted to the hospital,” West wrote. “There’s a concern about my oxygen saturation levels, which are at 89, and they should be at 95.”

He said his wife, Angela West, also tested positive and has received monoclonal antibodies. According to his Twitter account, Allen West did not get vaccinated against the virus, but his wife did.

The GOP candidate on Thursday said he had attended a “packed house” Mission Generation Annual Gala & Fundraiser in Seabrook. On Saturday, he tweeted he is “suspending in-person events until receiving an all-clear indication.”

West is a former Texas Republican Party chairman and Florida congressman. He announced in July that he would challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who is running for a third term and has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

In October 2020, West participated in a protest outside Abbott’s home, criticizing the governor’s executive orders — including a statewide mask mandate and lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.