NOT DOING SO GREAT

COVID Skeptic Cardinal Raymond Burke Out of Hospital but Left With Long-Hauler Symptoms

Cardinal Raymond Burke was an outspoken opponent of pandemic-related restrictions before he himself wound up on a ventilator.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, the archbishop of St. Louis who expressed skepticism about COVID-19 restrictions before himself contracting the virus, is out of the hospital but still struggling with symptoms. In a statement posted to his website over the weekend, he said he checked out of the hospital on Sept. 3 and is rehabilitating at home. “Although I am making steady progress, it is slow,” wrote Burke, who at one point in his weeks-long COVID fight was put on a ventilator. He said he’s still experiencing a “general fatigue and difficulty in breathing” and expects it will “be several more weeks” before he can return to a normal life.

Before announcing his diagnosis on Aug. 10, Burke had been outspoken about his opposition to some pandemic-related measures like mask-wearing and the closure of schools. He also suggested in 2020 that mandatory vaccinations are a way for citizens to be fitted out with microchips. Pope Francis appeared to reference Burke earlier this month while lamenting that “even in the College of Cardinals, there are some negationists,” including a “poor guy” who was subsequently hospitalized with the illness.