Senator Chuck Schumer Tests Positive for COVID, Is Experiencing 'Very Mild Symptoms'
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Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said late Sunday.
The Senate majority leader, 71, is experiencing "very mild symptoms," spokesman Justin Goodman said in a statement, adding that Schumer is "fully vaccinated and double boosted."
Schumer's office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional comment regarding the news, but said in the statement that the Democrat would work remotely this week, upon the Senate's return following the July 4 recess.
"Anyone who knows Leader Schumer knows that even if he's not physically in the Capitol, through virtual meetings and his trademark flip phone he will continue with his robust schedule and remain in near constant contact with his colleagues," Goodman said.
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Schumer was previously set to meet privately with Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) this week to work out a spending deal that would "lower health-care costs and combat climate change," according to The Washington Post.
The majority leader's diagnosis comes amid a new surge of the virus, with about 100,000 new cases reported daily on average.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two subvariants — BA.4 and BA.5 — currently constitute more than 70% of new infections in the country. The subvariants may partially escape the immunity produced by the vaccine and by prior infection, though vaccination still likely protects against severe illness, CNN reported.
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COVID's current surge also comes at a time when more people are resuming pre-pandemic activities, including summer travel.
Meanwhile, Schumer joins a growing list of leaders in the federal government who have tested positive for COVID-19 including Anthony S. Fauci — the president's chief medical adviser, who tested positive last month — and Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who both tested positive in April.
An earlier rise in cases this year was driven by the BA.2 Omicron subvariant.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments.
