WASHINGTON — Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, who tested positive last week for the disease caused by the coronavirus, said Sunday night that he has been hospitalized since Friday because of “severe shortness of breath.”
McAdams said in a statement that he experienced worsening symptoms Friday evening and he called the hotline for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. He said he was told to go to the hospital.
“I was admitted and have been receiving oxygen as I struggled to maintain my blood oxygen at appropriate levels. I am now off oxygen and feeling relatively better and expect to be released as soon as the doctor determines it is appropriate,” he said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
McAdams said his experience has shown him “how critical it is to follow the advice of the CDC and the Utah Department of Health in order to stop the spread of this virus.”
In an interview with the “TODAY” show last Thursday, McAdams said it felt like the “worst cold I’ve ever had” and described how difficult it was to breathe.
“I felt like I had a belt around my chest, and so I couldn't breathe deeply,” said McAdams, whose doctor then recommended that he get tested.
Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., has also tested positive, and a number of other House members have said they are self-quarantining because they had contact with someone who tested positive.
On Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., became the first senator to test positive.
A handful of other GOP senators, as a result, have decided to self-quarantine because of their interactions with Paul.
