North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced in a statement on Monday.
According to a news release, he is experiencing mild symptoms and has started taking Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill. Cooper, 65, is vaccinated and has received two booster shots for COVID-19.
"I'm feeling fine. Thanks to vaccinations and boosters, my symptoms are very mild," Cooper said in a statement. "I'm eager to get to work this week and I'm already doing it from home through phone calls and video conferencing."
For now, Cooper is in isolation and will be working from home.
This morning, Governor Cooper tested positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/yZTDHxDDlq
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) June 20, 2022
The first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 were expected to arrive in North Carolina on Monday.
The state Department of Health and Human Services says kids between the ages of 3 and 5 can receive the vaccine at a pharmacy. Children under 3-years-old are not permitted to be vaccinated by a pharmacist yet.
According to North Carolina’s COVID dashboard — which was last updated on June 15 — 77% of North Carolinians have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 56% of the state’s population has received at least one booster shot or additional dose. For children between the ages of 5 and 17, 38% have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.
Just 4% of all emergency room visits last week were COVID-related, down from 5% the previous week.
WUNC's Sascha Cordner and Bradley George contributed to this report.
