Harvard’s president, wife test positive for COVID-19

NEW DELHI: The president of Harvard University Lawrence S. Bacow said he and his wife have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

“Adele and I learned that we tested positive for COVID-19. We started experiencing symptoms on Sunday—first coughs then fevers, chills, and muscle aches—and contacted our doctors on Monday. We were tested yesterday and just received the results a few minutes ago,” Bacow said in a statement to the Harvard community on Tuesday.

Bacow said they had limited their contact since March 14 and “the good news — if there is any to be had — is that far fewer people crossed our paths recently than is usually the case.”

“We will be taking the time we need to rest and recuperate during a two-week isolation at home. I am blessed with a great team, and many of my colleagues will be taking on more responsibility over the next few weeks as Adele and I focus on just getting healthy,” Bacow added in his statement.

Earlier this month, the university shuttered classes and ordered students to move out of on campus housing.

As of Monday, there were at least 59,987 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States.