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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie hasn’t been seen by the public since he checked himself into a hospital on Saturday following his COVID-19 diagnosis. It’s been six days now since he checked into the hospital, and many are wondering how the politician is. Rumors have been swirling about Christie’s health, and the severity of his COVID-19 diagnosis, with some even speculating that Christie is in the ICU and on a ventilator.
Christie has not tweeted since he announced on Saturday he would be checking himself into the hospital. His family, friends, and aides haven’t given official updates either. On Friday afternoon, CNN confirmed that Christie has been prescribed remdesivir, an antiviral treatment that the president received as well.
Journalist Matt Katz shot down rumors of Christie being on a ventilator earlier this week. He wrote on Twitter, “@GovChristie is NOT on a ventilator. This is false info spreading on twitter. I’ve spoken to multiple people who’ve been on the phone with the governor daily after he was admitted to Morristown Medical Center for testing Covid+. They say he’s in good spirits & getting good care.”
Then, on Thursday, Katz followed up again: “Christie is still hospitalized. He is still NOT on a ventilator. He was on the phone as recently as this morning. I spoke to 3 people who’ve been in contact with him.”
Christie is about to enter his second week of hospitalization. Here’s what you need to know:
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Called Christie a ‘Fighter’ on Thursday
The current governor of New Jersey is Phil Murphy, a Democrat who succeeded Christie in the position. On Thursday, Murphy told reporters that he’d “exchanged notes” with Christie the day before, though he didn’t clarify what that meant.
Murphy went on, “I shot him a note, as I had done a couple of days earlier, just to say that we’re here for him. He was very gracious in his reply. And he remains in our prayers. He is a fighter, let there be no doubt about it. He’s the quintessential Jersey fighter. We’re all with him in thoughts, prayers, and we’re here to do whatever we can for him.”
Despite these assurances from sources that Christie is not in dire health, many online have continued to speculate about the fact that he’s been away from the public eye for four days now.
Chris Hayes tweeted on Wednesday, “I know Chris Christie gave an interview the day after he was hospitalized but are there updates since? Is he doing OK?”
Jacqueline Thompson, a wedding and event planner, tweeted on Wednesday morning, October 7, that “Chris Christie is in ICU and reported to be put on a ventilator.” Thompson claimed to have multiple sources when she was pressed on the veracity of her statement. She wrote, “My sources are anonymous. 2 are media, 1 is not.”
Thompson’s tweet seemed to be the source of much of the speculation earlier in the week, as her tweet was retweeted over 1,000 times and quoted over 1,000 times as well.
Christie Is Overweight & Has Asthma, Making Him More Vulnerable to Severe Symptoms of the Virus
Do we have health updates on Pence? Rudy? Chris Christie?
Christie is in his late fifties, is overweight, and has asthma. The Hill reported that Christie’s “is overweight, putting him at a higher risk for complications with the virus.” With that said, he has not indicated that he has experienced severe symptoms from the virus.
Christie’s only official statement about the virus came on Sunday, when he tweeted his COVID diagnosis. He announced, “While I am feeling good and only have mild symptoms, due to my history of asthma we decided this is an important precautionary measure,” he wrote on Twitter.
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