Days after announcing his coronavirus diagnosis, Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) revealed Sunday that he was hospitalized after experiencing “severe shortness of breath.”
McAdams said in a statement that his condition had since improved and he was “feeling relatively better.” He said he remains in the hospital, however, and would stay there until his doctors “determine it is appropriate.”
“My experience has shown me how critical it is to follow the advice of the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the Utah Department of Health in order to stop the spread of this virus,” the freshman lawmaker said.
Prior to his hospitalization, McAdams had said that he “feeling about as sick as I’ve ever been.”
He told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Friday that he was struggling with “really labored breathing.”
“I feel like I have a belt around my chest that’s really tight. When I cough, my muscles are so sore, so I just feel pain every time I cough, which is frequently,” he said, adding that he had a “fever of about 102.”
McAdams and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) were the first two lawmakers in the House to be diagnosed with the coronavirus. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ken.) on Sunday became the first senator to be diagnosed with the disease.
The lawmakers are among the more than 35,000 people in the U.S. who have contracted the virus to date.