Rand Paul becomes first U.S. senator to test positive for coronavirus

Rand Paul becomes first U.S. senator to test positive for coronavirus

U.S. Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on Sunday, becoming the first member of the Senate to announce he has COVID-19, as the number of U.S. cases of the respiratory disease grows.

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky tested positive for coronavirus, making him the first member of the U.S. Senate to announce he has the disease.

In a statement on Sunday, his office said the 57-year-old has no symptoms and was tested out of "abundance of caution" given his recent travels.

The diagnosis comes as the upper chamber of Congress prepared to take up a massive economic relief bill to address the financial fallout from the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, the Senate overwhelmingly passed an emergency funding bill by a vote of 96-1 to help state and local governments combat the spreading coronavirus.

Paul, who objected to spending the money without first reducing federal spending elsewhere, was the lone dissenter.

Other U.S. senators, including Rick Scott of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, self-quarantined as a precaution in recent weeks.

Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives have tested positive, while Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative after an unidentified aide was diagnosed with the virus.