Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., announced Sunday night that he and his wife had contracted COVID-19 for the second time, and added it was "far more challenging."
"I have COVID, Becca has COVID, my son has COVID," Higgins said in a Facebook post. "Becca and I had COVID before, early on, in January 2020, before the world really knew what it was. So, this is our second experience with the CCP biological attack weaponized virus … and this episode is far more challenging. It has required all of my devoted energy."
Higgins has not stated publicly whether he has been vaccinated against COVID, though he encouraged people to get inoculated.
NBC News reported that Higgins told the editorial board of the Daily American newspaper of Lake Charles, Louisiana, that he had "natural immunity" because he had contracted COVID-19 before.
"We are all under excellent care, and our prognosis is positive," he said in his Sunday social media statement. "We are very healthy generally speaking, and our treatment of any health concern always encompasses western, eastern, and holistic variables."
Higgins last voted in the House on July 1, according to C-SPAN, and he did not vote in-person or by proxy last week after members returned from a two-week break.
The lawmaker also missed votes between Jan. 27-30, C-SPAN reported, and the Congressional Record on Feb. 4 cited "a family medical concern" as the reason.
"I love and respect you all. I am honored and humbled to serve you in Congress," Higgins said on Facebook. "Our mission will continue. My family and I will recover fully. Your prayerful support is felt deep within my family and will never be forgotten."
Former surgeon general Jerome Adams said Sunday COVID-19 is "spiraling out of control" because too few people are vaccinated — warning "more mitigation is coming."
Coronavirus cases have risen in all 50 states, and hospitalizations and deaths are also up as the delta variant represents more than 83% of the virus circulating in the United States.
Data from John Hopkins University showed that only 36 percent of Louisianians are fully vaccinated, The Hill said, while the state saw its highest rate of new cases since January.
On Friday, Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., issued a press release urging residents to wear masks indoors when social distancing is not possible.
"The White House has notified Louisiana that we are a state of concern because we are the leading edge of the COVID-19 surge, due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant among the unvaccinated in our state," Edwards said. "Indeed, Louisiana leads the nation in case growth, with 47 cases per capita."
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are weighing revising their COVID-19 guidelines to recommend that even fully vaccinated individuals wear masks in public.
Fauci, the nation’s top government infectious disease official, told CNN that he had taken part in conversations about altering the guidelines, something he described as being “under active consideration.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.