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SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Mike Winder announced Tuesday that he has joined several other legislators who have tested positive for COVID-19 during the legislative session.
Winder, R-West Valley City, and his wife Karyn Winder, president of the Granite School Board, tested positive for the disease Monday night, the representative said on Twitter.
Although they both have a sore throat, Winder said, "We are glad to be vaxxed and boosted or this could have been worse, and we have the marvels of technology" to be able to attend legislative and school district meetings remotely.
BAD NEWS: Karyn and I tested positive for COVID last night and have sore throats today.
— Mike Winder (@mike_winder) February 1, 2022
GOOD NEWS: We are glad to be vaxed & boosted or this could have been worse, & we have the marvels of technology so we can do our @utahhousereps & @GraniteSchools meetings remotely this week! pic.twitter.com/CsI2VoXo24
In an email to KSL.com, Winder noted that members of the House and staff members are required to get tested for COVID-19 twice per week, "which is proving to be a good way to catch cases as they creep up."
He said someone asked him on Facebook why he thinks he would have had a worse case of COVID-19 without the vaccine.
Winder says he pointed out that "research over 10 states during the omicron wave show that those vaxxed and boosted are 82% less likely to end up at an urgent care and 90% less likely to be hospitalized when contracting omicron than those who were not."
At least three other legislators have announced positive COVID-19 tests since the 2022 Utah Legislature began in mid-January.
