Vaccinated Florida attorney general gets Covid after border trip with Ron DeSantis

Ashley Moody was also in close contact with other officials

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has tested positive for Covid-19, four days after she shared a plane journey with Gov Ron DeSantis and state Senate President Wilton Simpson.

Ms Moody flew on the state plane to the US-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, for a news conference with Texas Gov Greg Abbott, reports the Miami Herald. 

The conference was held in an open-air airport hangar where Ms Moody was joined by numerous state law enforcement officers.

“Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms and my family is in good health,” the Republican tweeted. She continued:  “As I continue to self-quarantine, I want to encourage Floridians to be vigilant about their health.”

Ms Moody said she had been vaccinated for the virus earlier this year. Her positive coronavirus test is the second infection reported among vaccinated Florida elected officials this week.

US Rep Vern Buchanan announced on Monday he had tested positive for the virus even though he was also fully vaccinated against the disease. The congressman said in a statement he had been experiencing “very mild flu-like symptoms” and was quarantining at home.

Mr DeSantis said earlier this week that a “seasonal pattern” is largely to blame for a recent spike in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations in Florida. A statistic released by the White House estimated that 20% of new cases last week occurred in the state.

The governor of Florida opposes virus-related government lockdowns, but nonetheless said it’s important for people to get vaccinated.

“If you’re vaccinated and you test positive but you don’t get sick, well the name of the game is to keep people out of the hospital,” said Mr DeSantis. “Seventy-five per cent of Floridians over the age of 50 have gotten shots, so we think that’s really, really positive.”