People
Bottoms confirmed her diagnosis in a tweet on Monday, writing, “COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.”
She told MSNBC that she tested negative “about two weeks ago,” but decided to get tested again after noticing that her husband was sleeping more than usual. She said they received positive test results on Monday.
“It’s a shock because what I see with him is not out of the ordinary for seasonal allergies,” Bottoms, who is reportedly on Joe Biden’s shortlist of potential vice presidential running mates, said. “It leaves me for a loss of words because I think it speaks to how contagious this virus is, and we’ve taken all of the precautions that you can possibly take.”
“I have no idea when and where we were exposed,” she continued.
Bottoms said the only symptoms she’s experienced so far are “a mild cough and headache.”
The politician added that people she’s been in contact with in the last few days have been briefed on her diagnosis, including the parents of Secoriea Turner, an 8-year-old girl who was fatally shot over the weekend.
Bottoms shared she will remain in quarantine at her home for the next two weeks, saying she’ll be “praying that the rest of my family is healthy.”
“This is startling for me because we’ve been so very careful,” she said of her family. “Again, this is just a lesson to everyone that you have to take every single symptom seriously.”
As of Monday, there have been at least 91,015 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,829 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses in the state of Georgia, according to a New York Times database.
Within the United States, more than 2,947,700 people have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 130,100 have died.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.