By Canadian Press

South Carolina governor tests positive for the coronavirus

Dec 22, 2020 | 10:50 AM

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has tested positive for the coronavirus and was slated to receive outpatient antibody treatment for “mild symptoms,” his office said Tuesday.

McMaster, 73, learned he had tested positive late Monday following a test “due to coming into close contact with the COVID-19 virus,” his office said in a release. McMaster’s wife, 73-year-old Peggy McMaster, tested positive last week but remains asymptomatic, officials said.

On the advice of his personal physician, the governor was slated to receive monoclonal antibody treatment Tuesday, which his office called a “preventative measure for those with mild to moderate symptoms.” Saying that McMaster was in “good spirits,” his office said the governor was “experiencing mild symptoms with a cough and slight fatigue.”

The governor was tested last week at the same time as his wife but had a negative result at the time, his office said.

Both McMasters had attended a Christmas event at the White House earlier last week and took a “precautionary, routine test” Thursday.

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Since that time, Peggy McMaster planned to isolate for 10 days, while the governor’s office said he would quarantine for a week while testing regularly and continuing his official duties.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press