COLOMBIA – Governor Henry McMaster tested positive for COVID-19 and will be treated with antibodies, his office announced on Tuesday.
The 73-year-old Republican governor is experiencing mild symptoms, including coughing and fatigue.
The diagnosis comes five days after First Lady Peggy McMaster, also 73, underwent a routine test that revealed she had the virus. She remains asymptomatic and the two are in a good mood, said the governor’s spokesman, Brian Symmes.
“Peggy and I ask everyone to be extremely careful during the Christmas holiday season,” said McMaster in a statement. “This virus spreads very easily.”
The governor has repeatedly urged Southern Carolans to distance themselves socially and wear masks to contain the spread, but has continually avoided a state mandate. He also made it clear that he will not order a return to blockades or other restrictions, as his fellow Democrats did in other states, amid an increase in cases believed to be fueled largely by internal holiday meetings.
The first South Carolina couple has been quarantined at home since Peggy McMaster’s test last Thursday. The governor also did a test at the time, but the results were negative at the time. It will isolate for an additional 10 days, as recommended, while monitoring for any worsening of symptoms.
His office emphasized that McMasters do not know where they got the virus, saying there is no way to identify it.
Both attended a Christmas party at the White House on December 14 and both had a negative result before the event.
His visit the day before to a church in the state drew criticism on social media. The governor awarded the Order of Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian tribute, to former Republican senator Mike Fair during a religious service in Taylors. Photos posted on Facebook and Twitter of the presentation did not show either of them wearing a mask.
In response to criticism, Symmes said the governor wears a mask when in close contact with others for a long time, but takes it regularly to speak or take pictures.
Both McMasters also met with Vice President Mike Pence on December 10 in Greenville.
Henry McMaster is receiving antibody therapy at an outpatient medical clinic, prescribed by his personal physician, his office said.
Treatment has been available since last month, when the FDA authorized it for patients with COVID-19 who had mild to moderate symptoms, but with a high risk of becoming seriously ill.
McMaster’s age puts him in the high-risk category.
The disease affects the elderly and those with underlying diseases. Just over 70 percent of the nearly 5,000 South Carolinaians who have died of COVID-19 since the virus was first detected here in March, were 70 or older.
Nearly 80 percent of the victims had other health problems, with heart disease and diabetes among the most common, according to the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The public health agency announced on Tuesday that nearly 2,100 additional Southern Carolinians had been diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total to more than 278,000 since March.
Since the governor is quarantined at home and sent all Mansion staff home when his wife tested positive, his diagnosis did not result in anyone else needing quarantine, said Symmes, who has not known whether any official has tested positive since.
State and federal guidelines define close contact as someone who has spent at least 15 minutes less than 2 meters from a contagious person. People can start spreading the virus 48 hours before they have any symptoms. Contact tracking investigations by DHEC employees cover this period.
McMasters join an increasing number of public figures to contract the virus.
At least seven other governors have been diagnosed with COVID-19. None died. Several of the more than 100 state legislators across the country who tested positive died, although none in South Carolina.
Other elected officials from South Carolina who recently tested positive for COVID-19 include US Representative Joe Wilson of Lexington County and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.
Lt. Governor Pam Evette tested positive in September. She had no complications and returned to the Statehouse later that month to greet lawmakers during a special session.
When asked in September whether he would get the vaccine, McMaster told a reporter “when available, yes’,” adding that he probably would not be eligible for the initial launch.
“The governor is not a priority for some people,” he said with a laugh.
South Carolina began receiving shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine last week, following federal government endorsement for widespread use. The state expects to receive at least 200,000 doses by the end of the month, available to frontline health professionals, nursing home residents and some first responders.
On Tuesday, nearly 20,000 health workers in the state received their first dose. A second injection is required 21 days later for maximum effectiveness.
Residents of nursing homes across the state will begin vaccination on December 28, DHEC said. They are getting the vaccine from Moderna, which received a federal green light last week and, unlike Pfizer, does not require deep-frozen storage.
Follow Seanna Adcox on Twitter at @seannaadcox_pc.