Minnesota’s top Republican, state Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Gazelka confirmed Sunday.
In a statement, Gazelka, 61, of East Gull Lake, said he has no “major issues or symptoms” but has experienced unspecified symptoms.
“Today I received confirmation of my positive COVID test,” Gazelka said in a statement Sunday. “I have been in quarantine since experiencing symptoms last Monday and will remain in quarantine as long as my doctor advises me to.”
The news comes as a rash of cases has swept through the state Senate’s Republican caucus, where members have publicly insisted they’re following protocols in the chamber, but many, including Gazelka, at times have been widely observed to have acted otherwise and have been reticent to urge that the public take precautions espoused by public health leaders.
It’s unclear if Gazelka’s case might be connected to those cases, but he did not attend legislative functions in person last week, opting to attend remotely during what he described as a prescheduled vacation.
CALL FOR RESIGNATION
Senate Republicans notified their own members of their outbreak, but failed to notify Democrats, earning chastisement from Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent and Gov. Tim Walz, also a Democrat.
On Sunday, Kent, D-Woodbury, called for Gazelka’s resignation as majority leader following a report from Fox 9 that the Senate GOP hosted a party with more than 100 guests on Nov. 5.
“As state leaders, it is our responsibility to lead by example. The Senate Majority Leader is entrusted with the responsibility of keeping all members and staff in the Senate safe,” Kent said in a news release. “Senator Gazelka has failed to do both.”
By and large, the same uniquely American partisan divide over the pandemic that has played out in Washington, D.C., has played out in the Minnesota Legislature: Republicans initially downplayed the risk of the pandemic and have focused on opposing government restrictions unilaterally imposed by Walz. Until recently, many privately eschewed wearing masks. Meanwhile, Democrats generally have urged the same recommendations as public health officials across the globe, and have supported Walz’s restrictions.
NOT JUST TALK
This hasn’t only played out in rhetoric.
During pre-election campaigning, Republicans held in-person events, some of which exhibited attempts at keeping people masked and apart from each other, while others didn’t.
Gazelka, who has frequently stated the virus is serious and should be treated as such, has found himself in those situations. For example, he and a handful of other prominent Republicans greeted President Donald Trump at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport at the end of September, days before it was revealed that Trump had the virus. The outdoor encounter was maskless but brief, and Gazelka was forced to isolate while awaiting test results, which proved negative.
A week earlier, Gazelka attended a campaign event with Vice President Mike Pence that was held indoors at the InterContinental Hotel at the airport. The event broke a number of state orders and public health guidelines, and later was connected to at least one positive case. While many supporters in the crowd of 350 congregated maskless for hours as they awaited Pence’s visit, Gazelka could be seen for much of the time seated at the front, away from the thickest crowds, wearing a mask.
GAZELKA’S STATEMENT
Gazelka’s statement Sunday carries an air of COVID defiance. Here’s the whole thing:
“Today I received confirmation of my positive COVID test. I have been in quarantine since experiencing symptoms last Monday and will remain in quarantine as long as my doctor advises me to. I did not attend session on Thursday due to a scheduled trip, and we extended our trip to avoid breaking my quarantine. We followed CDC and airline requirements during our travel and I’m very thankful my wife, Maralee, has tested negative for COVID.
“I am not experiencing major issues or symptoms and I expect like 99% of people, I will make a full recovery. We have learned a lot about this virus and how to treat it, we must remain cautiously optimistic that we will find a way to live with it. Our future cannot be prolonged isolation, face coverings, and limited activities. Our children aren’t learning, our seniors deserve better than to die alone, and the rise in mental health concerns cannot be ignored.
“Finally, the blaming and shaming of a positive COVID diagnosis has got to stop. Senate operations are an essential service and precautions were taken to prevent spreading COVID; no one was put at any more risk than any other special session. The deliberate choice to use a COVID diagnosis as a political tool to blame just Republicans when community spread is uncontrolled is indicative of failed leadership looking for a scapegoat. Minnesotans deserve better.”
Gazelka had experienced no symptoms and was unaware of any exposure when he boarded the plane, a spokeswoman clarified.
FACT CHECK
Gazelka’s statement includes at least one assertion, occasionally stated by Republicans including Trump, that seems to lack understanding of COVID-19: “I expect like 99% of people, I will make a full recovery.”
The 99 percent figure is misleading and may ultimately prove false.
Of the nearly 11 million confirmed coronavirus cases in America, nearly 246,000 had died as of Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally. That’s about 2.2 percent.
Of course, there are invariably far more cases than lab-confirmed tests, and many believe the mortality rate might be below 1 percent.
But the percentage of those who experience “full recovery” is another matter.
Between 50 and 80 percent of patients who become sick after contracting the coronavirus continue to have bothersome symptoms three months after their symptoms began, according to a post last month from Harvard Medical School, which cites two published studies.
How long these people, so-called “long haulers,” might continue to experience symptoms, which can range from fatigue to shortness of breath, is unknown.
“We have no information on long-term recovery rates,” writes Dr. Anthony Komaroff, editor in chief of the Harvard Health Letter.
Health officials have increasingly pointed to the long haulers’ straits as just another reason to reduce the chances of exposing yourself.
This report contains information from Forum News Service.