Ryan positive for COVID-19
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan has contracted COVID-19, his office announced Monday.
The Howland Democrat and candidate for U.S. Senate tested negative three times in the past 10 days before receiving positive test results on Monday. He’s currently quarantining at home and plans to cast votes in Congress remotely until he can return to Washington.
Ryan got a COVID-19 vaccine and said he’s experiencing mild symptoms.
“I’m grateful to have the protection of a safe and effective vaccine – and I know without it, this illness could be much, much worse,” he said in a statement. “What we have learned over the last year and a half is that we are in this together, and I urge all Ohioans to help us crush this pandemic by wearing a mask and getting vaccinated so that we can get back to normal.”
A campaign aide said Ryan is tested regularly, and those who came into contact with him recently will be notified. Ryan visited Easterseals Serving Greater Cincinnati on Friday, per his campaign’s Twitter account.
Ryan is the first member of Ohio’s congressional delegation to publicly disclose a COVID-19 diagnosis. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and several state lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
Former Republican state Rep. Doug Green died earlier this month after contracting the illness.
Haley Bemiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.