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Sen. John Fetterman tests positive for COVID-19

Fetterman is experiencing mild symptoms, he said in a post on X.

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) wears a pendant in support of freeing hostages being held by Hamas, before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) wears a pendant in support of freeing hostages being held by Hamas, before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol on Wednesday.Read moreAP

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, he said in a post Sunday on the social media platform X.

“I’m grateful to be fully vaccinated and will be working from home, following the appropriate CDC guidance,” Fetterman wrote.

Fetterman’s health was under scrutiny during his 2022 Senate campaign, and his first months as a senator. He suffered a stroke four days before winning the primary, which left him with lingering auditory processing issues. He also disclosed a heart condition — atrial fibrillation — in the aftermath of the stroke.

In February 2023, just a few weeks after he was sworn into office, Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat clinical depression. He was hospitalized for 44 days, and has since used his experience to encourage others to seek treatment for mental health conditions.

Last month, the senator, who is 54, and his wife, Gisele, were evaluated at a hospital “out of an abundance of caution” after, according to police, a Chevrolet Traverse Fetterman was driving at a “high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit” of 70 miles per hour on Interstate 70 in Hancock, Md., struck a Chevrolet Impala being driven by a 62-year-old woman from Pennsylvania.

The Inquirer reached out to Fetterman’s office Sunday to see if he had plans this week to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he has endorsed for president. There was no immediate response.

Fetterman is the latest politician in Washington to test positive for COVID-19. President Joe Biden contracted the virus earlier this month while campaigning in Las Vegas before he ended his bid for reelection. Biden experienced mild symptoms, which have since resolved, the White House said.

Nationwide, COVID-19 hospitalizations have been increasing since late spring, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the rate is still dramatically lower than the latest peak this past winter.