WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Wyden, one of Oregon's two federal senators, has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced Tuesday morning.
Wyden's case was detected as part of routine testing, according to his office. He is fully vaccinated and experiencing minor symptoms.
Wyden is in Washington, D.C. at the moment and will will work from his residence there while in quarantine, his office said.
Washington, D.C. has seen a wave of COVID cases among lawmakers in recent weeks, including members of Oregon's congressional delegation. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio both tested positive on April 8. Vice President Kamala Harris also tested positive on Tuesday.
Wyden and both congressmen were present last week to welcome President Joe Biden to Portland, although the day's events mostly took place outdoors or inside airplane hangars with the main doors open near Portland International Airport.
Oregon's own COVID case numbers have been trending upward for the past several weeks, mirroring a national trend.
The state's 7-day average for daily new cases stood at 765 as of Monday, more than triple where it was at the post-omicron low point about a month ago — although still less than a tenth of where it was at the peak of the omicron wave in January.
Oregon's COVID hospitalizations also began to creep upward last week after holding steady at around 100 patients during the prior two weeks. The total as of Monday was 144 hospitalized COVID patients statewide.