Rhode Island senator tests positive for COVID-19

Caroline Vakil
·1 min read
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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Thursday announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“I tested positive for Covid this morning after experiencing some mild symptoms. I’m feeling good and grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted. Will be working from home over the holiday week and already looking forward to next year’s Bristol 4th of July parade,” Whitehouse tweeted.

COVID-19 cases remain higher than earlier in the spring, though much lower than the hundreds of thousands of cases seen during the winter.

Meanwhile, Congress remains unable to overcome an impasse on new COVID-19 relief funding, which the White House has said is necessary in order to provide updated vaccine shots and tackle emerging variants later this fall and winter.

The Biden administration announced it is paying $3.2 billion for more than 100 million doses of an updated COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer for this fall.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 67 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and 47 percent of the population have received their first booster.

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