New York: An Indian-American former Barack Obama campaign staffer, who is running in the Democratic primary for a Congressional seat in New York’s 12th District, has been tested positive for coronavirus. Suraj Patel disclosed his positive test in a statement posted on social media. Patel is running in the Democratic primary to replace incumbent Carolyn Maloney for the Congressional seat. Patel said in his statement that about 10 days ago, he began experiencing a tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing followed by a regular fever of 102 degrees.
“I live with two doctors whose ability to return to work was dependent on our household remaining Covid-free. Therefore, we had to test to verify our condition so they would not miss work. My housemates and I all tested positive for Covid-19 and have been in self-quarantine since then and have recovered,” he said. Patel served on Obama for America’s advance team for four-plus months leading up to the 2008 November election.
