(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—This morning, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Governor Mike DeWine tested positive for COVID-19. He started experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms yesterday, including sneezing and a runny nose. His symptoms worsened slightly during the night, but the Governor is working remotely from home today.
Planning to get together with family over the weekend, he took a cautionary test on Sunday before he developed any symptoms. The test was negative.
The Governor has started taking the anti-retroviral therapy, Paxlovid, as advised by his doctor. He will work from home for the rest of the week.
KP.3.1.1, a variant in the Omicron family, is now the predominant COVID-19 variant circulating in the United States and has been on the rise since June. COVID-19 cases and wastewater detections of COVID-19 have been on the rise in Ohio since late June. Though hospitalizations, which are a good indicator of disease severity, have risen modestly in much of the United States, they are not currently rising in Ohio.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for all people ages six months and older.
Updated COVID-19 vaccines should be available in the early fall. Until then, those who have never been vaccinated, or those who are eligible for another dose, such as adults ages 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems, should talk to their healthcare provider about the current vaccine.