Rep. Ben McAdams hospitalized with 'severe shortness of breath' after testing positive for coronavirus

Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) has been hospitalized after testing positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

McAdams last week became the second member of Congress to announce they had tested positive for the novel coronavirus after Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), saying he had cold-like symptoms. On Sunday, McAdams announced he had been hospitalized after he "experienced severe shortness of breath" on Friday.

"I was admitted and have been receiving oxygen as I struggled to maintain my blood oxygen at appropriate levels," McAdams said. "I am now off oxygen and feeling relatively better and expect to be released as soon as the doctor determines it is appropriate."

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Since McAdams and Diaz-Balart announced they had the novel coronavirus last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday became the first senator to test positive.

In an interview with CNN on Friday, McAdams said he was "feeling about as sick as I've ever been" with "labored breathing" and "pain every time I cough." He also explained that he's living proof of the fact that the coronavirus must be taken seriously.

"This is not overblown, this is very serious — I'm 45, I'm in good health, and it has knocked me down," he said. "And so we need to follow these guidelines to slow the spread of this. This is going to be bad."