Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told California radio station KMJNOW on Friday that he's tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
The big picture: Nunes has faced criticism for downplaying the seriousness of the virus. In March, he encouraged healthy people to "go out" despite the advice of public health experts for people to stay home.
What they're saying: Nunes told radio host Ray Appleton, "I just spent the last couple hours giving blood plasma and it was painless," adding, “So I actually tested positive for the COVID antibodies.”
- "So that means you had it?" Appleton responded. "Yeah," Nunes said.
Of note: Per the Centers for Disease Control, "A positive test result shows you may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance that a positive result means you have antibodies from an infection with a different virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses)."
Axios has reached out to Nunes' office for comment but has received no response.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Nunes has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, not the live virus.
