New York Democrat tests positive for COVID-19 with ‘minor’ symptoms

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19, adding to a growing list of lawmakers who have recently contracted the virus amid the winter omicron surge.

Maloney announced his positive result on Twitter and said he was experiencing “minor cold-like symptoms” as he isolates at home.  

He added he was “grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted,” which he said was protecting him from “more severe illness.”

Maloney thanked health care workers for working through the pandemic and urged members of the public to “go get your vaccine and booster if you have not yet.” 

This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. While I am experiencing minor cold-like symptoms, I’m grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted, which is protecting me from more severe illness.

Please go get your vaccine and booster if you have not yet. pic.twitter.com/BQs8o0znd2

— Sean Patrick Maloney (@RepSeanMaloney) January 11, 2022

Maloney’s announcement comes after Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Young Kim (R-Calif.) announced they tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. 

On Capitol Hill, Democrats are restoring social distancing protocols for floor votes and urging lawmakers to use K95 or N95 masks, which offer more protection than cloth masks.

The United States on Tuesday set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with about 146,000 people in the hospital with the virus, according to Department of Health and Human Services data.

That figure surpasses the previous peak of about 142,000 people set in January 2021 during a major winter surge before vaccines were widely available.