June 20 (UPI) -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Cooper has begun taking Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, and is isolating at home, his office said in an issued statement.
"I'm feeling fine," the Democratic governor said. "Thanks to vaccinations and boosters, my symptoms are very mild. I'm eager to get to work this week and I'm already doing it from home through phone calls and video conferencing."
In a video posted to Twitter, Cooper noted that "each COVID variant has become more contagious than the last, so a lot people are still getting it.
"But studies show that vaccination and boosted people have milder symptoms when they become infected. So if you haven't gotten vaccinated and boosted, I encourage you to do so," he added.
Cooper in March said he believed the worst of the pandemic was over in North Carolina and announced changes in the way the state tracks and reports coronavirus-related data, including a move to end daily publication of data.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced last week he had tested positive for COVID-19.