Demings tests positive for COVID-19

Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), who is in the midst of a Senate campaign, said on Monday that she tested positive for COVID-19.

“I’ve tested positive for COVID and am currently isolating with mild symptoms,” she wrote on Twitter. “Thank you for the many well-wishes, and stay safe.”

Demings, who is seeking to oust incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), has been making rounds on the campaign trail in recent days.

Her diagnosis comes after she spoke on Saturday night at Florida’s Leadership Blue gala. Politico reported Demings’s voice was hoarse during the speech as she repeatedly tore into Rubio and other Republicans.

COVID-19 cases have ticked up nationwide to an average of roughly 126,000 per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

The BA.5 subvariant of omicron, which now makes up the majority of U.S. cases, has a greater ability to evade the protection of current vaccines than past strains, experts say.

Vaccine manufacturers are working to develop updated shots designed to target BA.5, but the vaccines aren’t expected to be available until the fall.

But some are concerned a new variant could take hold by time the doses are available. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha on Sunday noted the virus is “still evolving rapidly.”

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