Chuck Grassley, Oldest Republican in Senate, Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Senator Chuck Grassley, the oldest Republican currently serving in the U.S. Senate, announced Tuesday afternoon that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Grassley, 87, said early in the day that he was in quarantine as he awaited his coronavirus test results after learning that he had been exposed to the virus. Not long after, the test came back positive.

Grassley told Des Moines Register that he still feels fine even after learning he had caught the coronavirus. He also said he would continue to follow his doctors' orders and the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

His office also echoed his statement that he did not show any COVID-19 symptoms and was isolating at his Virginia home.

According to the Associated Press, the senator did not reveal how he was exposed to the coronavirus.

Grassley is the chair for the Senate Finance Committee and is the president pro tempore of the Senate. His position makes him third in line for the presidency after vice president Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Grassley was first made part of the Senate about 40 years ago. While he is the oldest-serving Republican in Senate, Democrat Dianne Feinstein from California is the oldest currently serving member.

Grassley Continues with Senate Business

In a statement, the senator said he would be "keeping up" his work from home as he extended his gratitude for those who wished him well and offered prayers on his behalf.

He also looks forward to coming back to his "normal schedule when [he] can."

Grassley's spokesperson, Michael Zona, said that as the senator works from home, he will be participating in nearly all Senate business aside from the voting.

FOX News said his quarantine might have him sit out some Senate votes for the first time in 27 years.

Grassley currently holds the record for going the longest without missing a vote in Senate history. It was previously held by late Democratic Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin in 2016.

As the pro tempore, one of Grassley's responsibilities is to open the Senate each day. He did so on Monday, leading the Pledge of Allegiance alongside others on the floor.

He also gave remarks without a mask, saying it was "more important than ever" to mitigate the surge of coronavirus cases in the country and the world.

While he was maskless when giving his remarks, he was spotted wearing one when he joined other senators at close distance on the floor late Monday evening for the procedural vote on a federal judge.

Coronavirus' Easiest Targets are Those Above 80

According to the CDC, people older than 80 years old face the greatest risk of severe complications from the coronavirus, more so if they have other chronic health issues.

Unlike the usual symptoms that most people are told to look out for, older people have different ways of reacting to the virus, said The Philadelphia Inquirer through Medical Xpress.

Those above 80 often lose their appetites, develop diarrhea, or become confused, agitated, or more subdued when infected with the virus.