US Senator Lindsey Graham says he tested positive for COVID-19

Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, has flu-like symptoms and will be self-quarantining for 10 days.

“I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse,” Graham, 66, said on Twitter.

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The South Carolina Republican said he began experiencing flu-like symptoms on Saturday, sought medical attention on Monday morning and was later informed by a physician that had tested positive.

“I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms,” Graham, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, said in a pair of tweets. “I will be quarantining for ten days.”

Graham did not say whether he had tested positive for the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for a recent surge in infections in the United States, particularly Southern states with relatively low vaccination rates.

Forty-six percent of South Carolina’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, well below the national average of 58 percent, according to the Reuters COVID-19 Vaccination Tracker.