Atlanta Mayor and potential vice presidential candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms said Monday she tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Atlanta mayor revealed her diagnosis to CNN‘s Chris Cuomo, saying she and her husband decided to get tested after they were sleeping more than normal late last week.
“COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive,” the mayor said on Twitter. “I’m still in a state of shock because I don’t have any idea how we were exposed. I’m stunned.”
Lance Bottoms added she initially thought she and her husband’s symptoms of a mild headache and dry cough, were due to allergies. Cuomo asked Lance Bottoms if she had a fever, she said she had a temperature of 99 degrees and feverish hallucinating dreams.
In addition to her husband, one of Lance Bottoms’ four children also has the coronavirus. The Atlanta mayor admitted all four of her children have asthma, a pre-existing condition that may worsen coronavirus symptoms.
The mayor, who has practiced social distancing, said her diagnosis shows how contagious the virus is.
“This is scary. We’ve done all the things that we thought we should do, and for us to still test positive, I think, really speaks to how easily this virus is spread and obviously none of us are immune from it,” Lance Bottoms told Cuomo.
Lance Bottoms is a potential candidate to be Joe Biden’s vice president along with Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Val Demings of Florida.
When asked if she was ready for the post, the Atlanta mayor said she is committed to being the mayor of Atlanta.
“I’m a mayor but I’m also a mom and a wife, so I’ve got to wrap my brain around what exactly this means and how do I keep all of my kids, the rest of my kids, safe,” Lance Bottoms said.