By Caroline Kelly | CNN
Former presidential candidate Herman Cain is receiving oxygen and improving as he remains hospitalized for Covid-19, according to his Twitter account.
Cain “is still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs. In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong,” his account tweeted in a thread on Monday. “Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it.”
According to a subsequent tweet, “He really is getting better.”
As a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain was one of the surrogates at President Donald Trump’s June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma — which saw at least eight Trump advance team staffers in attendance test positive for coronavirus. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told CNN at the time that Cain did not meet with Trump at the Tulsa rally. It is unknown where Cain contracted the virus.
News of Cain’s status comes as Trump administration officials and campaign staff continue to contract the virus. Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, has tested positive for Covid-19, an official familiar with what happened told CNN on Monday.
Cain, a contributor for conservative media outlet Newsmax, was first hospitalized at an Atlanta-area hospital in early July after developing serious symptoms and testing positive for the virus, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account earlier this month.
As a cancer survivor, Cain, age 74, is considered at an increased risk for coronavirus, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
In 2006, Cain was given a 30% chance of survival from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer from his liver and was declared cancer free in 2007.
The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO announced his candidacy for president in 2011 and his 9-9-9 tax reform plan gained traction. After about seven months, he dropped his bid for the GOP nomination amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied.
Cain was named in April 2019 as one of Trump’s picks for two open seats on the influential Federal Reserve Board. He withdrew from consideration within the same month after four Republican senators said publicly they would not vote to confirm him and amid concerns that his nomination hearing would resurface the harassment allegations.
