NC Gov. Roy Cooper tests positive for COVID-19, says he’s ‘feeling fine’
Governor Roy Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the governor’s press office said Monday.
He was previously fully vaccinated against the virus in addition to receiving two booster shots.
”I’m feeling fine. Thanks to vaccinations and boosters, my symptoms are very mild,” said Governor Cooper in a news release. “I’m eager to get to work this week and I’m already doing it from home through phone calls and video conferencing.”
The governor is currently taking Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill, to treat his symptoms, his office said.
The drug developed by Pfizer has an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death in the clinical trial that supported the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization of the drug.
Its chance of reducing hospitalization and death prompted the National Institutes of Health to prioritize it over other COVID-19 treatments, according to Yale Medicine. Paxlovid is provided for free by the U.S. government during the current public health emergency and is expected to work in treating the Omicron variant.
It is the first time that Cooper has tested positive for the virus.
“You know, each COVID variant has become more contagious than the last, so a lot of people are still getting it,” Cooper said in a Twitter video. “But studies show that vaccinated and boosted people have milder symptoms when they become infected.”
The governor encouraged to people to go out and get the shot or the booster if they had not already. He added that people should identify which virus treatments may be right for them, such as the oral antiviral drugs Paxlovid or Lagevrio.
Evidence showed earlier this year that infection prevention from the first booster shot reduced in older people over time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later approved a second booster for people older than 50 and those with certain immune deficiencies, allowing those people to take another preventive dose.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 12:50 PM.
