U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th Congressional District) has tested positive for COVID-19, following the Jan. 6 demonstrations at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Watson Coleman said she believes she was exposed to the virus while she was in protective isolation in a secure location with other lawmakers, according to information from her office. She was one of many lawmakers who were rushed into the secure location after protestors forced their way into the Capitol Building.
Watson Coleman, whose Congressional district includes parts of Mercer and Middlesex counties, tweeted Jan. 11 that she decided to take a COVID-19 test after sheltering with colleagues, some of whom refused to wear masks.
Watson Coleman was wearing a facial mask, spokesman Mike Shanahan said.
In a tweet Jan. 11 announcing her positive COVID-19 test results, Watson Coleman said she was at home resting and was experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms. She had received the first of two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine several days earlier.
But on Jan. 12, Watson Coleman tweeted that although she felt “okay,” she had decided to go to a local hospital on the advice of her physician for monoclonal antibody treatment. It is the same treatment that former Gov. Chris Christie and President Donald Trump received after they contracted COVID-19.
