CINCINNATI — Republican Senator Rob Portman has tested positive for COVID-19, he said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"In preparation for returning to Washington, D.C., I took an at-home COVID test last night and it was positive," the statement reads. "I am asymptomatic and feel fine. I have been in contact with the attending physician and my personal doctor. I am following their medical advice and following CDC guidelines and isolating for the recommended five days. I will work remotely from home this week, but will not be able to be in Washington, D.C. for votes."
Portman is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot, according to Matt Lloyd, Portman's deputy chief of staff and communications director.
The senator has been in favor of the vaccines, participating in a clinical trial in the fall of 2020 and encouraging Ohioans to get vaccinated.
Portman's infection comes at a time when Ohio is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Monday's statewide hospitalization total was the highest in Ohio since the start of the pandemic, with 6,177 patients suffering from COVID-19 in hospitals. Of those, 1,307 were in intensive care units and 835 were on ventilators, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Health.
In Cincinnati, where Portman lives, local hospitals have begun to suspend elective procedures to accommodate the high influx of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization.
