Texas congressman Nehls says he tested positive for COVID-19

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls recalls exchange he had with mob inside the Capitol

HOUSTON – U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas says that he’s tested positive for COVID-19 and has moderate symptoms.

Nehls, a Republican from the Houston area, said Saturday that he is fully vaccinated and hopes the symptoms pass soon.

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“All Americans are free to make their own health decisions, but I strongly encourage getting vaccinated,” he wrote on Twitter Saturday. “It is scientifically proven to drastically reduce the risk of severe illness & death from COVID.”

Nehls, the former sheriff of Fort Bend County who was elected to Congress last year, had said on Wednesday that a close family member had tested positive.

Nehls said he has been quarantining at home and will continue to do so for at least the next 10 days.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he'd tested positive for the virus. He said Saturday that he had tested negative.

“I’m told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination that I received,” Abbott said in a video clip posted on his Twitter account on Saturday. “So I encourage others who have not yet received the vaccination to consider getting one.”