Whitmer tests positive for COVID-19, reports mild symptoms
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening.
"Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated and twice boosted," she said in a statement issued late Monday.
She said that she plans to maintain a remote schedule after speaking with a state doctor.
"I last tested for COVID this afternoon, when I tested negative. Following standard protocol, all of my close contacts from today will be informed," Whitmer said.
In a news release announcing her positive test, Whitmer expressed gratitude for her family, staff and the vaccine for offering her "robust protection against the virus" and encouraged other Michigan residents to get vaccinated and boosted.
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"I look forward to getting back to work in person, meeting with constituents, and keeping Michigan on the move," she said.
Whitmer gained national attention at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic for steps she took to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
She has previously avoided infection despite close contacts at times with those who tested positive, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who reported testing positive for COVID-19 after spending substantial time with Whitmer at the Mackinac Policy Conference in June.
Michigan has had over 2.6 million confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and more than 37,500 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data from the state health department. Last week, the department reported 20,173 new COVID-19 cases and 106 new deaths over the previous week in the state.
Whitmer is running for reelection and will face Republican Tudor Dixon in November.
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer tests positive for COVID-19, reports mild symptoms
