 As part of his reelection campaign, U.S. Senator Rand Paul spoke with local Kentuckians and Jenkins Tuesday about pressing issues within the state. Earlier, Mountaintops spoke with Senator Paul about some of these issues and his message to Kentuckians. We've been traveling around the eastern Kentucky mountains for the last couple days. We've been to hazard, we've been to Pikeville, Prestonsburg, and now we're down in Jenkins. And it's really, I think, one of hope and opportunity for the country that I think we're a resilient country. I think we can get beyond this COVID pandemic and begin to grow again. But we have to start being reasonable about it, trying to let our kids live free again, not overwhelm people with mandates. And I think people are ready for it. People are ready to get back started again. And I think that we're at a point where maybe we can get back to normal. Lastly, Senator Paul spoke on his stance on vaccine mandates and options for vaccination. I'm against vaccine mandates. I think people who are at risk should be vaccinated, but I think it should be their choice. Particularly people over 65, particularly people overweight, are at risk for this disease. And I think being vaccinated is good. One of the things, though, is if you're vaccinated, you can still get it. And it's very important for people watching this to know that there is a treatment for COVID. It's called monoclonal antibodies. It's an infusion. You have to go to a hospital or a clinic to get it. But if you go within the first couple of days of getting the virus as you're getting sick, 70 to 80 percent reduction in hospitalization and death. So people need to know there is a treatment. You have a very good chance you can survive this if you get it, but you got to call your doctor. You can't wait at home until you get too sick. For Mountain Top News, I'm Joel Chorjol.