South
Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster looks on during a media briefing on
coronavirus response with Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday,
July 21, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. | AP
Henry McMaster, 73, learned he had tested positive late Monday
following a test “due to coming into close contact with the
COVID-19 virus,” his office said in a release.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has tested
positive for the coronavirus and was slated to receive outpatient
antibody treatment for “mild symptoms,” his office said
Tuesday.
McMaster, 73, learned he had tested positive late Monday
following a test “due to coming into close contact with the
COVID-19 virus,” his office said in a release. McMaster’s wife,
73-year-old Peggy McMaster,
tested positive last week but remains asymptomatic, officials
said.
On the advice of his personal physician, the governor was slated
to receive monoclonal antibody treatment Tuesday, which his office
called a “preventative measure for those with mild to moderate
symptoms.” Saying that McMaster was in “good spirits” and
continued to carry on his official duties, his office said the
governor was “experiencing mild symptoms with a cough and slight
fatigue.”
The governor was tested last week at the same time as his wife
but had a negative result at the time, his office said.
Both McMasters had attended a Christmas event at the White House
earlier last week and took a “precautionary, routine test”
Thursday. Citing state public health officials, McMaster’s office
said Tuesday “there is no way to pinpoint precisely when or how
Gov. McMaster or the First Lady contracted the virus.”
Since that time, Peggy McMaster planned to isolate for 10 days,
while the governor’s office said he would quarantine for a week
while testing regularly and continuing his official duties. Given
his positive test, officials said Tuesday the governor would
isolate for the next 10 days “and monitor for additional
symptoms.”
The governor’s illness comes on the same day South
Carolina’s health board selected a retired military doctor to
head the state’s health and environmental department. After
months without a permanent director at the helm of the agency
overseeing South Carolina’s coronavirus response, the Department
of Health and Environmental Control board unanimously voted Tuesday
for Dr. Edward Simmer, who previously oversaw civilian medical and
dental care for the Defense Health Agency in Virginia and served
three decades in the Navy. The board-certified psychiatrist also
holds a master’s degree in public health.
A number of South Carolina officials, including Lt. Gov. Pam
Evette and U.S. Reps. Joe Cunningham and Tom Rice, have previously
contracted and recovered from COVID-19, as did Nancy Mace, the
Republican who unseated Cunningham in the November election.
Last week.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson also announced he had tested positive for
the coronavirus, the same day he gave a floor speech in the House
of Representatives.
