Rep. Mike Kelly is the latest lawmaker to test positive for the coronavirus during the pandemic.
The Pennsylvania Republican announced the diagnosis in a Friday press release. He said he began to feel ill earlier this week and was tested for the virus at a drive-through site in Pennsylvania, with the results coming back Friday afternoon.
“When I started experiencing mild flu-like symptoms earlier this week, I consulted my primary care physician,” Kelly said. “My doctor ordered a test for COVID-19, which I obtained at the drive-through testing site at Butler Memorial Hospital.”
“My symptoms remain mild, and I will serve the 16th District from home until I fully recover. Additionally, my staff is teleworking and still available to constituents who need assistance,” he added.
Kelly was in Pennsylvania while waiting for his test results and said that, although he wasn’t in Washington, D.C., to vote on the coronavirus relief package, he would have voted in favor.
The 71-year-old congressman described how he felt to the Washington Examiner. He said the symptoms for him were largely confined to muscle pain.
“I have had no fever. The worst symptom I have is that I feel very sore, with muscle aches and stuff like that. Like many people, you would usually think, ‘Well, maybe I have a 24-hour bug, and I’ll get through it.’ But I am around a lot of people, so I thought I better make sure. I don’t want to take chance and give it to someone else. All of us have that responsibility.”
Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina also tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. He is joined by Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, who announced their diagnoses last week. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was also diagnosed with COVID-19.
