WASHINGTON — Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Tuesday that he is experiencing mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 one day earlier.
The Mississippi Democrat announced his diagnosis days before the committee is scheduled to hold a prime-time hearing on the events of Jan. 6. In a statement, committee officials said that Thompson “has instructed the Select Committee to proceed with Thursday evening’s hearing.”
“Committee members and staff wish the Chairman a speedy recovery,” the statement said.
Thompson urged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, emphasizing that the viral infection “is still present, and we must do everything we can to fight this virus.”
“Gratefully, I am fully vaccinated and boosted,” he said. “I am continuing to follow (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines and will be isolating for the next several days.”
[ Related: Jan. 6 Capitol attack: Prime-time public hearing is set for this week ]
As of Wednesday, the most recent date for which data was available, more than 78% of the U.S. population has gotten at least one dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over 67% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and more than 48% of those who have been fully vaccinated have gotten at least one booster shot, CDC data shows.
Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 89 million infections nationwide, resulting in over 1 million deaths, according to the CDC.