“Less than two weeks after being diagnosed with coronavirus, Senator Mike Lee has recklessly showed up in-person to this illegitimate Supreme Court hearing without producing any proof that he has tested negative and is no longer infectious.
“The desire to pack the Supreme Court with a justice who will be the deciding vote to overturn the Affordable Care Act does not give Senator Lee the right to put every single one of his colleagues in danger.
“Senator Graham should be ashamed for endangering public health by allowing these hearings to move forward under these circumstances, especially since he is refusing to get tested himself to ensure he’s not a superspreader.
“These hearings must cease to protect the health and safety of everyone involved.”
Background: Senator Lee Has Not Offered Any Evidence To Suggest He Is No Longer Infectious
- Since Testing Positive On October 1, Lee Has Not Been Transparent About Symptoms. “[Lee spokesperson Conn] Carroll did not disclose any symptoms Lee might be experiencing. He said the senator is working from isolation in Washington, D.C. Lee announced last Friday [October 2] that he had come down with the coronavirus, just hours after President Donald Trump tweeted that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Lee said he was tested Thursday [October 1] after having symptoms consistent with longtime allergies. Unlike the test he said he took at the White House a few days earlier, the result was positive.” [Deseret News, 10/5/20]
- Some Patients Are Infectious For Longer Than 10 Days After Symptoms Appear. “The best research we have so far on Covid-19 transmissibility suggests that people can shed infectious virus for up to nine days after getting sick. In general, they are most contagious two days before symptom onset, and in the first five days after, as the graph in the tweet below, from this Oxford University Press study, shows. But these are averages — and they hide a lot of the variability among patients. Some people are infectious for a shorter period, while others shed virus for up to 20 days after symptom onset. That’s why doctors and public health officials ask patients to isolate for at least 10 days after their symptoms appear, or even longer in some cases.” [Vox, 10/8/20]
- Dr. Anthony Fauci Advises That One Should Go Ten Days Without Symptoms AND Have Two Negative PCR Tests 24 Hours Apart To Be Assured That They Are No Longer Infected. “Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said two negative PCR lab tests 24 hours apart are a key factor in determining whether someone is still contagious…” Referring to the president, Fauci said: “‘So, if the president goes 10 days without symptoms, and they do the tests that we were talking about, then you could make the assumption, based on good science, that he is not infected.’” [Associated Press, 10/9/20]
- Mike Lee Has Not Confirmed That He Has Tested Negative For COVID-19. “.@SenMikeLee has been cleared by his physician to attend the hearing in person. But he hasn’t said he has tested negative for COVID.” [Twitter, @LACaldwellDC, 10/12/20]