Utah Senator Mike Lee announced he tested positive for COVID-19 Friday morning shortly after President Tump and First Lady Melania Trump announced they had both tested positive for the disease on Thursday night. The news comes the same day as Utah reports 15 new COVID-19 deaths.
In a Tweet sent just before 10am Friday, Senator Lee disclosed he started experiencing symptoms consistent with his allergies on Thursday morning and was tested for COVID-19 out of an abundance of caution.
Lee’s test came back positive and the Senator will be in isolation for the next 10 days.
Lee said he was also tested for COVID-19 before a visit to the White House earlier this week, which was negative.
Lee is reported to be experiencing mild symptoms as of Friday afternoon and met face-to-face with Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday. Barrett has announced her tests have come back negative.
The Utah Department of Health also announced the state recorded an additional 1,107 positive cases on Friday and 15 new COVID-19 deaths.
A statement from the health department clarified that Friday’s deaths are not from the last 24 hours and said the reporting of deaths can sometimes take months. The statement said nine deaths occurred last week, two in September, two in August, and two in July.
The state also reported 190 current COVID-19 hospitalizations, a seven day rolling average of positive cases of 945, and a positive test rate of 13.7%
As of Friday, 56,167 Utahns are considered to have recovered from the disease.
The White House also announced on Friday President Trump has been moved to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland at the recommendation of his physician after experiencing fever, chills, congestion, and a cough. The President and First Lady Melania Trump announced they both tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday night.
