Sen. Tim Kaine and his wife both presented antibodies for the coronavirus following an illness from earlier this year.
The Virginia Democrat announced Thursday that he and his wife, Anne Holton, had taken a serology test, which identified antibodies for COVID-19 in their blood. The presence of antibodies likely means that the couple had the coronavirus earlier this year before tests were widely available.
At the time, Kaine believed he was just suffering from allergies after recovering from a confirmed case of the flu. His wife also suffered from a fever, chills, congestion, and a cough around the same time.
“After Anne got sick, we each talked to our health care providers in early April and they thought it was possible that we had mild cases of coronavirus. We were both home in Richmond, working remotely and isolated from others. Due to national testing shortages, we were not tested for the virus but continued isolating and watched for any worsening of symptoms,” Kaine said. “By mid-April, we were symptom-free.”
Sen. Tim Kaine says he and his wife tested positive for #COVID19 antibodies after becoming ill in late March/early April. They were working from home, quarantined pic.twitter.com/aZ13iYXDMP
— Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) May 28, 2020
The two both presented coronavirus antibodies but acknowledged that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not know whether those with antibodies can be reinfected or carry the disease to others.
“There is still too much uncertainty over what protection antibodies may actually provide,” Kaine said. “So we will keep following CDC guidelines — hand washing, mask wearing, social distancing. We encourage others to do so as well. It shows those around you that you care about them.”
