Former Rep. Katie Hill announced via her social media over the weekend that she had tested positive for COVID-19, despite being up to date on her vaccine doses and booster.
Hill, who represented the 25th Congressional District in 2019 before resigning, received her positive test results while almost eight months pregnant, she confirmed via a tweet posted on Saturday.
“I’m boosted and got COVID and am now quarantined for Christmas while almost eight months pregnant,” Hill said in her tweet, “and though my symptoms are mild, I really wish I’d canceled my plans for the couple weeks before this.”
Hill reaffirmed via a statement sent to The Signal on Monday that her symptoms remained mild over the weekend, and described her experience with the virus as the feeling of a “minor cold.”
“Who knows how much worse it might have been if I weren’t vaccinated and boosted,” Hill said on Monday. “My partner and I are very grateful to have had that protection for both of us and for our baby.”
“We’re quarantined together binge-watching TV and Christmas movies, and looking forward to reuniting with family before the New Year,” Hill added.
The Centers for Disease Control said as recently as Dec. 17 that while the overall risks are low, people who are pregnant or were recently pregnant have an “increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared to people who are not pregnant.”
“People who have COVID-19 during pregnancy are also at increased risk for preterm birth (delivering the baby earlier than 37 weeks) and stillbirth and might be at increased risk for other pregnancy complications,” the CDC’s website reads. “Having certain underlying medical conditions, and other factors, including age, can further increase the risk for developing severe COVID-19 illness during or recently after pregnancy (for at least 42 days following end of pregnancy).”
