California Gov. Gavin Newsom has tested positive for Covid-19 and is taking antiviral medication, his office announced Saturday.
“This morning, the governor tested positive for Covid-19 after exhibiting mild symptoms. The governor will continue to work remotely,” the Democrat’s office said in a statement, noting that he will be in isolation until at least June 2.
“The Governor has also received a prescription for Paxlovid, the antiviral that has been proven effective against COVID-19, and will begin his 5-day regimen immediately,” the statement read. Newsom, 54, is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and has received two booster shots, according to his office.
Paxlovid, made by Pfizer, is a combination of two antiviral medications. It has been shown to be extremely effective at keeping mild cases of Covid from becoming more severe or even deadly.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use in December, after a clinical trial found that a five-day course cut the risk of being hospitalized or dying by 88% in unvaccinated people at high risk of severe outcomes from a Covid-19 infection.
Last September, two of Newsom’s four children tested positive for Covid-19, but both the governor, his wife and their two other children tested negative for the virus at the time.
The governor is among a slew of high-profile politicians who have tested positive for the virus this year, including Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
Last year, Newsom beat back an effort to recall him from office before the end of his term that had grown out of frustration over his response to the pandemic and the state’s strict Covid-19 measures. Newsom is running for a second term this fall.
