A photo of Senator Rand Paul, who is a lawmaker from the state of Kentucky and a member of the Republican party, has been doing rounds on the internet of where he can be seen getting injected with a vaccine. Social media users are debating the legitimacy of the photo as the GOP Senator Rand Paul has disputed COVID-19 vaccines.

The Senator’s arguments are based on the fact that he has previously contracted coronavirus before deciding to get the vaccine. In May earlier this year, Paul announced that he will not be getting the vaccine.

In a social media post from the Senator’s account, he can be seen arguing against “mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats”, according to reports from Newsweek.

The claims that have been made by the Republican lawmaker previously, goes against the information provided by the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The federal agency’s website says that an individual “should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.”

Fact Check: 

Even though the photo seems to be real and not edited in any manner by a third person, it was captured long before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Moreover, the photo is also of the Senator getting a vaccine.

In the photo, the medical professional or the Senator are not wearing a mask. The New York Times reported that the photo was taken in February 2015.

It shows Paul receiving a hepatitis A booster shot in the Capitol physician’s office. At the time, Paul also shared a photo of himself receiving the booster, according to reports from Newsweek.

Charles Booker, the spokesperson and campaign manager of Paul, said that the photo is old. He said in a statement, “This is an old picture folks. Just calling out the hypocrisy. Listen to the proven medical experts. Not guys like this”, Newsweek reported.