Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says 'COVID Was No Joke,' Shares Photos After Recovery

"For a while I’ve noted the term 'mild' is misleading when the bar is hospitalization and death," the congresswoman said.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she has “thankfully recovered” and is “wrapping up quarantine” after announcing on Jan. 9 that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing symptoms.

“Welp, so it happened. Got COVID, probably omicron,” she wrote on Instagram on Saturday in the caption of a post that included a picture of both positive and negative rapid tests, as well as a photo of her cuddling her French bulldog, Deco.

“COVID was no joke,” she wrote. “For a while I’ve noted the term ‘mild’ is misleading when the bar is hospitalization and death. Even ‘mild’ cases can result in long COVID, which includes a range of conditions like cognitive impairment, POTS, & chronic fatigue.”

The New York Democrat said her message wasn’t intended to induce fear, but to remind people to be careful, wear N95 masks in crowded indoor spaces like stores, and to rest if infected.

The lawmaker’s office said she is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot in the fall.

In her post, Ocasio-Cortez also criticized recently updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that halved the recommended isolation time for people with COVID-19 to five days. Some major employers subsequently cut down their sick leave following the updated guidance.

“The idea of forcing people to work just 5 days after symptoms start is sociopathic and 100% informed by a culture that accepts sacrificing human lives for profit margins as a fair trade,” the lawmaker wrote.

She encouraged followers to lean on and support their communities, and to make decisions not only to protect themselves but those around them.

The Democrat is one of more than 115 members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus, according to the website GovTrack.

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