Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, becoming one of the most recent members of Congress to contract the virus amid a surge in cases across the U.S.
“After experiencing mild symptoms and a slight fever, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Since testing, she has been quarantining at home and is feeling well which she attributes to having been vaccinated,” Malliotakis’s communications director Natalie Baldassarre said in a statement to The Hill.
“The Congresswoman continues to urge individuals to get tested prior to traveling or visiting loved ones this Christmas,” she added.
Malliotakis’s office said she has communicated with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and FEMA the need for more testing sites in Staten Island and Brooklyn, which are in her congressional district.
Another spokesperson for Malliotakis’s office told silive.com that the congresswoman has not received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The news site noted that while Malliotakis has stated she is not anti-vaccine, she is strongly against vaccine mandates.
Other lawmakers including Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) have also tested positive for the coronavirus this week.