Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has tested positive for COVID-19. Here are all the members of Congress who have been infected with the novel coronavirus.
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At least three congressional lawmakers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Sunday.
Offices on Capitol Hill have been closed and numerous congressional staffers have been sent back home as public areas and businesses in the US widely initiate temporary lockdowns.
Here are the lawmakers serving in Congress who have tested positive for COVID-19.
At least three congressional lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as of Sunday.
Some offices on Capitol Hill have been closed and numerous congressional staffers have been sent back home as public areas and businesses in the US widely initiate temporary lockdowns to prevent the disease from spreading.
As of Sunday evening, more than 33,400 cases were confirmed in the US, with patients in all 50 states and territories including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. There have also been upward of 400 deaths.
Lawmakers from both parties have self-quarantined after coming in contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19. Those lawmakers included Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
One person who tested positive interacted with several other Republicans at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, prompting additional tests for congressional leaders and White House officials.
In a statement on March 18, the congressional physician said he was "carefully monitoring" the situation.
"My office has taken appropriate actions to identify any individuals who require additional monitoring for periods of quarantine," the physician said in his statement, adding his office "identified the offices and locations that were found to be at risk and these have been treated ... using CDC approved cleaning methods."
Here are all the lawmakers serving in Congress who have tested positive for the coronavirus so far:
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida announced that he had tested positive for the virus on March 18.
y Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image
Diaz-Balart was the first congressional lawmaker to announce that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a statement from his office on March 18, the Republican lawmaker said he developed symptoms including fever and a headache on March 14. Instead of returning back to his home state, Diaz-Balart self-quarantined at his apartment in Washington, DC.
He tested positive for COVID-19 several days later.
"I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better," Diaz-Balart said in a statement, though he urged Americans to take the virus "extremely seriously."
Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 18, shortly after Diaz-Balart's announcement.
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McAdams, the only House Democrat from Utah, was the second lawmaker to test positive for the coronavirus.
He said he experienced "mild cold-like symptoms" upon his return from Washington, DC, and got tested shortly thereafter.
"I am still working for Utahns and pursuing efforts to get Utahns the resources they need as I continue doing my job from home until I know it is safe to end my self-quarantine," McAdams said in a statement. "I'm doing my part as all Americans are doing to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak."
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky announced that he tested positive for the virus on March 22.
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Paul tested positive for COVID-19, his office said in a tweet on March 22. Paul was the first US senator to test positive.
"He is feeling fine and is in quarantine," Paul's office said. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."
Paul published an op-ed article in The Hill in the week before his diagnosis calling for "aggressive but prudent actions" to combat the rapid spread of the disease.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have tested negative for COVID-19.
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Trump and Pence have been tested for the disease and have tested negative, according to the White House.
Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary, tweeted on March 21 that both Pence and the second lady, Karen Pence, had tested negative for COVID-19.
The White House physician said on March 13 that Trump tested negative for the disease after dining with the Brazilian delegation at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump came in contact with two people who were later confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19.
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