Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Giuliani Contracts COVID
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and President Donald Trump鈥檚 personal attorney, has tested positive for COVID-19. Trump delivered聽the news by tweet, writing 鈥淕et better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!鈥 Giuliani, 76, was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center on Sunday, two people who were aware of his condition but not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY.聽(Brown, 12/6)
No further details were immediately released, and it's unclear how the former New York City mayor became infected. Giuliani has spent recent weeks traveling to lead failed legal challenges in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. On Wednesday, Giuliani was in Lansing, Mich., where he did not wear a mask while speaking to Michigan lawmakers at a hearing lasting more than four hours. On Thursday, he was in Atlanta, where he talked to Georgia state senators without a mask. (Schwartz, 12/6)
Mr. Giuliani, at age 76, is in the high-risk category for the virus. Later Sunday, he wrote on Twitter: 鈥淭hank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes. I鈥檓 getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.鈥 His son, Andrew H. Giuliani, a White House adviser, said on Nov. 20 he had tested positive for the virus. He had appeared at a news conference with his father the day before. (12/7)
The news immediately raised concerns about the extent to which Giuliani, who has frequently appeared maskless while crisscrossing the country in recent weeks to advance Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, may have spread the virus among public officials. Sunday night, it was announced that the Arizona state legislature -- where Giuliani had appeared at the beginning of last week -- would be closed for the upcoming week over Covid-19 concerns. Giuliani's diagnosis, the latest positive test for a prominent member of Trump's inner circle, also further undercuts the President's frequently repeated and misleading claim that the US is "rounding the corner" in its fight against the coronavirus. (Diamond, Fossum and Stracqualursi, 12/7)
In related news 鈥
The two chambers of the Arizona state legislature will suspend their work this week after former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus less than a week after spending聽hours testifying in front of Republican legislators in a futile bid to overturn the state鈥檚 election results. Spokespeople for the state House and Senate confirmed to The Hill Sunday that the two chambers would cancel their planned meetings this week because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. (Wilson, 12/6)