Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has quarantined himself due to fears that he could have contracted coronavirus from an individual at a conference he attended.
Ted Cruz Quarantined
The senator issued a statement on Sunday saying that he had been in contact with an attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) who has tested positive for coronavirus. And, like Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar who also interacted with the attendee, he has also decided to self-quarantine.
“Last night, I was informed that 10 days ago at CPAC I briefly interacted with an individual who is currently symptomatic and has tested positive for COVID-19. That interaction consisted of a brief conversation and a handshake.
“I have consulted with medical authorities from the Houston Health Department, the Harris County Public Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as my personal physician. I have also spoken with Vice President Pence, Leader McConnell, and Mark Meadows.
“I’m not experiencing any symptoms, and I feel fine and healthy. Given that the interaction was 10 days ago, that the average incubation period is 5-6 days, that the interaction was for less than a minute, and that I have no current symptoms, the medical authorities have advised me that the odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low.
“The physicians further advised that testing is not effective before symptoms manifest, and my brief interaction with the individual does not meet the CDC criteria for self-quarantine.
“The medical authorities explicitly advised me that, given the above criteria, the people who have interacted with me in the 10 days since CPAC should not be concerned about potential transmission.
“Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, and because of how frequently I interact with my constituents as a part of my job and to give everyone peace of mind, I have decided to remain at my home in Texas this week, until a full 14 days have passed since the CPAC interaction.
“Everyone should continue to treat this outbreak seriously and be driven by facts and medical science. We need to continue to be proactive in mobilizing resources to combat this outbreak-including the $8.3 billion in emergency funding we provided last week-and I encourage everyone to follow the recommendations of the CDC and other health professionals in protecting their own health and welfare, as well as the health and welfare of those around them.”
Other Potential Victims
Rep. Gosar issued a less wordy statement on Twitter on Sunday night saying that he and three staff members were also self-quarantined.
“I am announcing that I, along with 3 of my senior staff, are officially under self-quarantine after sustained contact at CPAC with a person who has since been hospitalized with the Wuhan Virus. My office will be closed for the week,” he said.
There was concern because CPAC founder Matt Schlapp had interacted with the attendee and then with President Donald Trump later in the day. The group issued a statement saying that the president was not at risk because he had no interaction with the attendee.
“This attendee had no interaction with the president or the vice president and never attended the events in the main hall,” CPAC said. “The Trump administration is aware of the situation, and we will continue regular communication with all appropriate government officials.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said there was “no indication that either President Trump or Vice President Pence met with or were in close proximity to the attendee.”
“The president’s physician and United States Secret Service have been working closely with White House staff and various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the first family and the entire White House complex safe and healthy,” she said, The New York Times reported.
Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China and the nation currently has 80,859 documented cases according to the latest World Health Organization statistics. South Korea is next with 7,134 cases and Iran has 6,566 cases.
Italy leads the West with 5,883 documented cases of coronavirus. The United Kingdom has 277 cases and the United States currently has 213 cases. There are 106,893 documented cases worldwide as of the time of this writing.
* This article was originally published here
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