Former President Barack Obama tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on social media Sunday.
“I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative,” Obama wrote on Twitter.
“It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down,” the former president urged.
Obama has been a strong proponent of vaccines since they’ve become available. He has also been a strong proponent of public health measures such as masking and social distancing meant to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
He is among a number of high-profile politicians who have contracted the virus at some point throughout the pandemic. Nearly 150 members of Congress have caught the disease, according to GovTrack, a public accountability project.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 65.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 44.3% of the fully vaccinated have received a booster shot. The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking in late February, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.
Story cited here.