The governor of Oklahoma announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, weeks after he attended US President Donald Trump's campaign rally in the state.
Cases have surged in Oklahoma, and local health officials have said that Trump's indoor rally and large public protests in June "more than likely" contributed to the spike in new infections.
Governor Kevin Stitt said he believes he is the first US governor to be diagnosed with coronavirus, but that it was unlikely he contracted it at Trump's June 20 rally because the event occurred too long ago.
"I got tested yesterday for COVID-19, and the results came back positive," Stitt told an online press conference.
He said he was "a little bit achy" on Tuesday but otherwise felt "fine."
The 47-year-old Republican said he immediately placed himself in quarantine away from his family and will work from home until he is free of the virus.
Stitt has often declined to wear a mask at meetings and did not wear one at the Trump rally, but he is urging residents to take precautions.
"We know it's here in Oklahoma, it's not going away," Stitt said.
"We need to take this virus seriously" and Oklahomans should "continue to get tested," he added.
Trump faced major blowback for insisting on holding a crowded indoor rally in the heat of a pandemic.
His campaign handed out masks at the Tulsa event, but few of the supporters who attended wore them and social distancing guidelines were largely ignored.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opinion: Opinion | Trump-Musk Chat Shows Innovation Alone Can Save Legacy Media Opinion: Opinion | Trump, Musk, And The Importance Of 'Exaggeration' In Storytelling Donald Trump Made Rs 2 Crore From 'Bible' Sales, Holds Rs 8 Crore In Crypto: Report Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Mob Sets Cars On Fire After 15-Year-Old Stabbed Inside Udaipur School US Warns Iran Faces "Cataclysmic" Consequences If It Strikes Israel 20 Coaches Of Sabarmati Express Train Derail In UP, No Casualties Two Sisters Returning From Court Run Over By Car In UP: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.