Davids diagnosed with COVID-19

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Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids announced Friday she has been diagnosed with COVID-19, only days after undergoing outpatient parathyroid surgery.

Davids said her symptoms are mild and she is now isolating at home where she’s been since her surgery on Monday.

Davids was vaccinated in January and has since appeared in televised public service announcements urging Kansans to get vaccinated.

She credited the vaccine with minimizing the symptoms from the virus.

The second-term congresswoman said she has followed health precautions throughout the pandemic, including wearing a mask indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the vaccine and the protection that it offers. I know things could have been much worse for me without it,” she said in a statement.

Davids is the second member of the Kansas congressional delegation to come down with COVID-19.

Earlier this year, Republican Congressman Jake LaTurner was diagnosed with COVID-19 when he was tested as part of Washington, D.C.’s travel guidelines.

The website GovTrack.Us reports that 129 representatives and senators have either isolated because of having COVID-19, self-quarantined after exposure or taken other action or no action after they were exposed to the virus.

Of those, 71 representatives and senators have been diagnosed with COVID-19 either through testing or after symptoms emerged although some didn’t experience symptoms.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wished Davids a “speedy recovery” in a Facebook posting.

“We know the way to beat this virus is getting vaccinated,” Kelly said.

“It’s safe, effective against severe illness and death, free and protects your community from COVID-19,” the governor said in the posting.

Earlier this week, the congresswoman’s office said Davids underwent surgery for a “parathyroid issue” and looked forward to “being back in action soon.”

A spokeswoman said COVID-19 was not affecting her recovery from surgery.

The congresswoman’s office didn’t offer much detail about the parathyroid issue.

Most people have four pea-sized glands, called parathyroid glands, on the thyroid gland at the bottom of the neck. The parathyroid glands are different from the thyroid gland.

The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormones – also known as PTH –  that help the body keep the right balance of calcium and phosphorous.

If the parathyroid glands make too much or too little hormone, it upsets the balance of calcium and phosphorous.

If they secrete too much PTH, a patient can develop a condition where the level of blood calcium rises, which can cause other health issues.

The health conditiion is generally diagnosed before signs or symptoms of the disorder are apparent, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“When symptoms do occur, they’re the result of damage or dysfunction in other organs or tissues due to high calcium levels in the blood and urine or too little calcium in bones,” according to the clinic.