US Rep Mace of South Carolina has COVID for second time

U.S. Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina has contracted COVID-19 for a second time

Virus Outbreak Rep Mace (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

U.S. Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina has contracted COVID-19 for a second time, saying Monday the infection is milder than her first and that she has been fully vaccinated since last spring.

Mace said she knew she had contracted the virus and opted to test after one of her children had tested positive. Her infection comes amid a resurgence of the pandemic fueled by the omicron variant.

The Charleston Republican said she plans to work from home during her quarantine period, describing her current symptoms as “more mild than the first time.” Though fully vaccinated since the spring of 2021, Mace said she had not received a booster dose.

Mace initially contracted the virus in June 2020, soon after winning a competitive GOP primary in South Carolina’s 1st District. At the time, Mace told supporters that she tested positive after learning that some members of her campaign had been potentially exposed.

Since recovering from that bout, Mace has spoken about her “long-haul” COVID-19 experience. In a September 2021 op-ed, she described how she occasionally experienced fatigue and shortness of breath, as well as occasional hyperventilation during intense exercise, “something I never experienced before COVID.”

Mace has long encouraged vaccination, writing in that same piece that vaccination is “not a perfect fix, but it’s the best fix we have during this global pandemic.”

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.