ATLANTA – Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler is in quarantine after receiving inconclusive Covid-19 test results after several campaign appearances earlier this week, her campaign announced on Saturday.
The news comes a day after Loeffler, a Republican locked in a second-round race that could determine the balance of power in Congress, attended two campaign events on Friday alongside Vice President Mike Pence.
In photos shared on Twitter, neither Loeffler nor Pence appeared to be wearing masks.
According to his campaign, Loeffler passed two rapid tests on Friday morning before the events. The results came back negative. She was subsequently informed that her PCR test, considered the gold standard in detecting genetic material specific to the coronavirus, was positive.
She was tested again on Saturday after consulting with medical officials and this result was inconclusive, Loeffler campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said in a statement. Loeffler remains asymptotic and will remain in quarantine until test results are conclusive, Lawson added.
Pence’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, two Loeffler staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, but she does not appear to be infected, the Associated Press reported. She also had a fear of the coronavirus after attending a press conference at the Rose Garden of the White House on September 26 when President Donald Trump announced that Amy Coney Barrett was her choice for the United States Supreme Court . Trump then tested positive for Covid-19.
Loeffler’s Democratic opponent, Reverend Raphael Warnock, tweeted he hoped for a quick recovery for her.
“I pray that the results of her tests are negative and that she returns to the electoral campaign soon,” he said.
The closely watched contest between Warnock and Loeffler will be decided on January 5 when Georgian voters determine the fate of the two Senate seats.
Loeffler has aligned himself with Senator David Perdue, a Republican who faces a second round against Jon Ossoff. Loeffler and Perdue have organized joint rallies and present themselves as a united front.
In March, Loeffler was among several senators coming under fire for selling off large stocks of shares after receiving early classified briefings from Congress on the coronavirus pandemic, but before dire warnings from the virus were issued public by officials. The Justice Department subsequently closed its investigations into insider trading on Loeffler and others.
Jester reported from Atlanta and Lozano from Los Angeles.