The Washington Post reports that Amy Coney Barrett was infected by the Wuhan coronavirus this summer. It says Barrett’s infection has been confirmed by “three officials familiar with her diagnosis.”
Judge Barrett has recovered from the virus. The Post’s report doesn’t say what her symptoms, if any, were. However, she is female, relatively young and slim, and seemingly in good general health. Thus, it’s unlikely that she was ever at serious risk from the infection.
Barrett was with President Trump on Saturday at the conference where her nomination was announced. She has also been meeting with various Senators, including Mike Lee who says he is infected. She also met recently with the president of Notre Dame University. He too has tested positive.
I imagine that, having recently been infected herself, the judge faces virtually no risk of being infected again so soon. However, she is being tested daily, according to the Post. It says her the most recent test for which the result is known occurred last Friday, the day before she was announced as the Supreme Court nominee. The test came back negative.
I think Barrett’s infection is a non-story, except as more indication of how widespread infections are becoming in America.
