U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the defense department’s budget request on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool
WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, has flu-like symptoms and will be self-quarantining for 10 days.
“I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse,” Graham, 66, said on Twitter.
The South Carolina Republican said he began experiencing flu-like symptoms on Saturday, sought medical attention on Monday morning and was later informed by a physician that had tested positive.
“I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms,” Graham, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, said in a pair of tweets. “I will be quarantining for ten days.”
Graham did not say whether he had tested positive for the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for a recent surge in infections in the United States, particularly Southern states with relatively low vaccination rates.
Forty-six percent of South Carolina’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, well below the national average of 58%, according to the Reuters COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker. ((https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access/))
Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Paul Simao
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.