Politics

Alaska Rep Don Young Tests Positive For COVID-19

Alaska GOP Rep. Don Young announced that he tested positive for coronavirus Thursday afternoon.

Young, 87, was first elected in a 1973 special election and is the Dean of the House. He is both the longest serving member of Congress and the oldest member of Congress, according to Alaska Public Media.

In a tweet, Young said that he was “feeling strong” and that he was working at home in Alaska.

I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska, and ask for privacy at this time. May God Bless Alaska.

— Rep. Don Young (@repdonyoung) November 12, 2020

Young won reelection Wednesday against Democrat Alysse Galvin.

Young had jokingly referred to coronavirus as the “beer virus” in March, only to later apologize and say that he misunderstood the virus’s severity, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Young’s diagnosis comes after multiple members of the Trump administration, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, tested positive after an election night party at the White House.

The United States reported a record 144,000 cases Wednesday as cases continue to surge across the country. Over 10.4 million Americans have been infected and more than 240,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.