US: Harvard prez, wife test positive for coronavirus

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow said Tuesday he and his wife have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

In a note to Harvard community members Bacow said the couple began experiencing symptoms, including coughs, fevers and chills Sunday and contacted their doctors Monday before being were quickly administered tests the same day.

They received results Tuesday, Bacow said, and neither know how they contracted the virus.

Bacow and his wife began social distancing and working from home March 14, and he said "far fewer people crossed our paths recently than is usually the case."

"We will be taking the time we need to rest and recuperate during a two-week isolation at home," he wrote. "This virus can lay anyone low. We all need to be vigilant and keep following guidelines to limit our contact with others."

The news comes as the U.S. still struggles to produce sufficient test kits with the number of coronavirus cases rapidly increasing.

There are over 51,500 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S., and 674 deaths, according to a running tally being compiled by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.