WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Over two dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate – 17 Republicans and nine Democrats – have tested positive or are presumed to have had COVID-19, with Representative Don Young becoming the latest on Thursday.
Here is a look at lawmakers affected by the virus:
REPRESENTATIVE DON YOUNG
The longest-serving Republican in Congress, the 87-year-old Young announced on Thursday that he had been infected with the coronavirus. “I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska, and ask for privacy at this time. May God Bless Alaska,” the Alaska Republican wrote on Twitter.
REPRESENTATIVE DREW FERGUSON
Ferguson, 53, a Georgia Republican, announced on Oct. 30 that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms.
REPRESENTATIVE BILL HUIZENGA
Huizenga, a 51-year-old Michigan Republican, announced on Oct. 19 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He said he took a rapid test before an event he had planned to attend with Vice President Mike Pence.
REPRESENTATIVE MIKE BOST
Bost, 59, a Republican who represents a district in southern Illinois, said on Oct. 9 he had tested positive and was reaching out to constituents he had met over the previous few days. His wife also fell ill with the coronavirus.
REPRESENTATIVE SALUD CARBAJAL
“Despite taking every precaution – including wearing a mask, social distancing, and hand-washing – I have learned I was exposed to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19,” Carbajal wrote on Twitter on Oct. 5. The next day, the 55-year-old California Democrat tested positive.
SENATOR RON JOHNSON
The Wisconsin Republican, who is 65, tested positive in early October after returning to Washington in late September and coming into contact with someone who had the virus, his spokesman said.
SENATOR MIKE LEE
The 49-year-old Utah Republican’s October announcement that he had tested positive came within hours of the bombshell news of Republican President Donald Trump’s positive test. Lee was one of several prominent people who did not wear masks in a crowd at the White House on Sept. 26 as Trump introduced U.S. Appeals Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.
SENATOR THOM TILLIS
Tillis, 60, from North Carolina, also attended the event at the White House where Barrett was introduced. He announced he had tested positive on Oct. 2, the same day as Lee.
REPRESENTATIVE JAHANA HAYES
Hayes, 47, a Connecticut Democrat, tested positive for COVID-19 and planned to quarantine for 14 days, she said on Sept. 20, adding that she was asymptomatic except for breathing issues, which were being monitored.
SENATOR BILL CASSIDY
Cassidy, 63, a Louisiana Republican, decided to self-quarantine for 14 days and contact those with whom he may have had contact after testing positive, according to a statement in August.
“I am strictly following the direction of our medical experts and strongly encourage others to do the same,” the senator, himself a physician, said.
REPRESENTATIVE RODNEY DAVIS
Davis, 50, an Illinois Republican, said in August he tested positive for the coronavirus after running a fever.
REPRESENTATIVE DAN MEUSER
Meuser, a 56-year-old Pennsylvania Republican, announced on Aug. 22 that he had tested positive and therefore would miss a House vote on more funding for the U.S. Post Office.
REPRESENTATIVE RAUL GRIJALVA
Grijalva, a 72-year-old Arizona Democrat, tested positive and went into isolation, he said in August. Grijalva expressed frustration with the reluctance of some Republican lawmakers to wear masks, which can slow the spread of the coronavirus.
REPRESENTATIVE LOUIE GOHMERT
The 67-year-old Texas Republican said in July he had tested positive in a prescreening at the White House but did not have symptoms.
“It’s really ironic, because a lot of people have made a big deal out of my not wearing a mask a lot. But in the last week or two, I have worn a mask more than I have in the whole last four months.”
REPRESENTATIVE MORGAN GRIFFITH
The 62-year-old Virginia Republican, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said in mid-July he had tested positive. His office said he did not have significant symptoms.
REPRESENTATIVE TOM RICE
The South Carolina Republican, 63, said in mid-June that he, his wife and son had all tested positive but were “on the mend.”
SENATOR TIM KAINE
The 62-year-old Virginia Democrat and former vice presidential candidate said in May that he and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
SENATOR BOB CASEY
Casey, 60, a Pennsylvania Democrat, also tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in May.
REPRESENTATIVE NEAL DUNN
The Florida Republican, a 67-year-old surgeon, said in April he had gone to the emergency room after not feeling well and later tested positive.
REPRESENTATIVE JOE CUNNINGHAM
A Democrat from South Carolina, Cunningham, 38, said in March he had tested positive.
REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY
Kelly, 72, a Republican from Pennsylvania, tested positive in March at a drive-through testing site. He told an interviewer it took about a month to recover and he lost 30 pounds (14 kg).
SENATOR RAND PAUL
The 57-year-old Kentucky Republican said in March he had tested positive and was in quarantine but was feeling fine. After he returned to work, Paul still did not wear a mask and said it was because he believed he was immune.
REPRESENTATIVE MARIO DIAZ-BALART
The Florida Republican, 59, tested positive in March, and the symptoms “pretty much hit me like a ton of bricks.” After his health improved, Diaz-Balart said he would participate in a plasma donation program to help people with serious cases.
REPRESENTATIVE BEN MCADAMS
The Utah Democrat caught the virus in March. He was hospitalized and needed oxygen. Afterward, he warned others to take the virus seriously. “I’m young, I’m 45 years old, I’m healthy, I exercise every day, and it hit me really hard,” he told ABC.
REPRESENTATIVE NYDIA VELAZQUEZ
Velazquez, 67, a Democrat from New York, said in March that she had been diagnosed with a presumed case of the coronavirus, although she had not been tested.
REPRESENTATIVE SETH MOULTON
The Massachusetts Democrat, 41, said in March that he and his wife were in self-quarantine after experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms. The congressman said they did not, however, qualify for testing.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Peter Cooney)
