State Sen. Jim Smallwood announced Monday that he has tested positive for the new coronavirus.
“I want to first let everybody know that I’m currently feeling great,” the Parker Republican said in a written statement. “Thankfully, my symptoms were mild and subsided quickly. Unfortunately, this shows just how valuable social distancing is in this difficult time, as despite my best efforts to follow the advice of medical professionals, I still contracted COVID-19 from an unknown source.”
Smallwood says he is isolated at his second home in California until March 30. His symptoms, including a mild fever and chills, began on March 16 and lasted until March 17.
The 49-year-old was tested on March 17 out of an abundance of caution and his results came back on Sunday. His wife was also tested, but her results came back negative.
“Stay safe, everybody,” Smallwood said in his statement.
Last week, state Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But on Monday she revealed that she had been misdiagnosed.
“A faculty member at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus misinterpreted the results of a viral screening panel as being positive for the coronavirus causing COVID-19,” Colorado House Democrats said in a news release. “Rep. Michaelson Jenet sought medical attention and testing for COVID-19 because she was experiencing several symptoms of the virus. The physician later reviewed the full results again and realized that Rep. Michaelson Jenet had actually tested positive for a different coronavirus, NL63.”
The Commerce City Democrat is recovering at home with mild symptoms.
“While I am still feeling very sick from this other coronavirus, I am relieved to know that I haven’t inadvertently exposed anyone at the Capitol or in my community to COVID-19,” Michaelson Jenet said in a statement.
The legislature temporarily recessed on March 14 until at least March 30 as a result of the outbreak.
