NEW YORK: An Indian-American former Barack Obama campaign staffer, who running in the Democratic primary for a Congressional seat in New York's 12th District, has been tested positive for coronavirus.
Suraj Patel disclosed his positive test in a statement posted on social media and on the blogging platform Medium on Monday.
Patel is running in the Democratic primary to replace incumbent Carolyn Maloney for the Congressional seat in New York's 12th District.
Patel said in his statement that about 10 days ago, he began experiencing a tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing followed by a regular fever of 102 degrees.
"I live with two doctors whose ability to return to work was dependent on our household remaining COVID-free. Therefore, we had to test to verify our condition so they would not miss work. My housemates and I all tested positive for COVID-19 and have been in self-quarantine since then and have recovered," he said.
Patel, who served on Obama for America's advance team for four-plus months leading up to the 2008 November election, said his elder brother, an emergency room doctor, administered the COVID-19 test at their home.
"In the interest of transparency and accountability, I am announcing that I tested positive for COVID-19," he said.
"I personally, am happy to say that I am now fully recovered and have been asymptomatic for more days than hospital guidelines require to go back to work," Patel said in a statement.
Patel's bid for Congress is his second in as many election cycles.
The Stanford University (bachelor's), University of Cambridge (master's) and New York University School of Law graduate previously tried to unseat Maloney in the Democratic primary but fell 59.6 per cent to 40.4 per cent.