WASHINGTON, D. C. - U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, a Republican from Bowling Green, announced on Twitter that he tested positive for the coronavirus after he was told he’d been exposed to someone who also tested positive. Both Latta and the other person who tested positive for the virus were vaccinated, Latta said.
“I am following CDC guidance and will be quarantining,” Latta’s social media post continued. “During this time, I will still be working to represent #OH5 from my home. I am vaccinated, and because of that, thankfully I have no symptoms. ...Even when vaccinated, it is important to remain vigilant against COVID-19 and to follow CDC guidance.”
Latta’s Monday evening announcement came several hours after U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from the Niles area who is seeking the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Republican Rob Portman’s upcoming retirement, announced that he tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms. Ryan also said he was vaccinated.
“I’m grateful to have the protection of a safe and effective vaccine — and I know without it, this illness could be much, much worse,” wrote Ryan, who will also work from home while he quarantines.
Dozens of U.S. Congress members have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, including several others who were vaccinated.
Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Wright was the first sitting Congress member to die from it. Representative-elect Luke Letlow, a Louisiana Republican, died from coronavirus before he could be sworn into office.
Republican Doug Green, a former Ohio state representative from Brown County near Cincinnati, died of coronavirus earlier this month. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2013 through 2020.
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