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South Carolina Rep. Joe Cunningham said Friday he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the fourth member of Congress infected with COVID-19.
Cunningham, D-S.C., had been in self-quarantine after interacting with another member of Congress who tested positive for COVID-19 but was tested at the end of his 14-day isolation due to new symptoms.
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“I just want to give you all a quick update,” Cunningham said in a video posted to Twitter. “Last Tuesday I began experiencing some mild loss of taste and smell, and it wasn’t until this week, when I was already self-quarantined that I learned that those can be mild symptoms for COVID-19.”
Cunningham said he was “set to come out of quarantine” late Friday night, “but because of these mild symptoms, I was tested yesterday for COVID-19 and today, I learned that I actually tested positive.”
Cunningham said that “the medical advice I have received is that I should continue to stay self-quarantined for 14 days since experiencing my first symptom,” which he said was last Tuesday, March 17.
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“That would allow me to come out of quarantine on Tuesday, but to be extra cautious, I will stay in quarantine until Wednesday,” he explained, adding that his wife and his son are “asymptomatic but will be self-quarantined.”
“I feel fine, I feel great, but even though I have to stay home for the next few days, this won’t stop me from working from home for my constituents here in the low country, and especially fighting for our low country businesses and the workers,” he said.
Cunningham added that he is “extremely lucky that I do not have many symptoms,” and acknowledged that “there are others that are not as lucky.”
Cunningham encouraged constituents to join him in praying for those who have been directly affected by the virus and those who have lost loved ones.
“Anyone can get this,” he said. “We have to be vigilant and smart and listen to medical experts… We have to heed their advice and stay home… Don’t risk contracting this or spreading it.”
Cunningham went on to say that while he was not in Washington, D.C., for the final vote on the massive multi-trillion dollar coronavirus stimulus package Friday, he supported the legislation and would have voted in favor had he been able to be present on Capitol Hill.
Cunningham joins other members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus: Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah, tested positive for COVID-19. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., is currently in self-quarantine after having symptoms of the virus.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, sending several GOP senators into self-quarantine. Paul is the only known senator to have coronavirus at this time.
As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. had the most cases of coronavirus in the world, reporting more than 97,000 positive cases of COVID-19, and 1,475 deaths.
