WEST LEBANON — A New Hampshire lawmaker who represents part of the Upper Valley is recovering from what he describes as “the worst head cold I’ve ever had” after testing positive for COVID-19.
State Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday after first experiencing cold-like symptoms over the weekend.
While those symptoms haven’t affected his breathing, the 68-year-old former Marine fighter pilot said he suffers from fatigue that left him bedridden for more than a day.
“It saps your energy,” Giuda said in a phone interview in which he periodically stopped to clear his throat. “I’m a pretty high-energy person and it really taps you out.
“This is something people need to be aware of, be careful with,” added Giuda, who is entering his third term representing a Senate district that includes the towns of Haverhill, Piermont, Orford, Orange and Dorchester.
Giuda is among several Granite State lawmakers to contract the coronavirus ahead of the two-year legislative session that is scheduled to start next month.
House Speaker Dick Hinch, a Republican, died from COVID-19 on Dec. 9, a week after being sworn in during an outdoor session at the University of New Hampshire. And Rep. Kimberly Rice, R- Hudson, disclosed her COVID-19 diagnosis in a Facebook post earlier this month.
Gov. Chris Sununu also said Wednesday that one lawmaker, whom he did not name, was receiving hospital care.
“I don’t get any updates as to which legislators are positive and which ones aren’t,” he said during a news conference. “We are providing testing as much as they want to be tested.”
It’s not known how many other lawmakers might have tested positive, largely because New Hampshire health officials have declined to release those numbers.
Jake Leon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the state is prohibited by federal law from disclosing a person’s health information, including their COVID-19 status.
The Statehouse “is a place of employment and legislative meeting space,” he said in an email, contrasting it with the long-term care facilities and schools that DHHS regularly provides COVID-19 case counts.
“If there were ever to be an elevated risk of community exposure involving the Statehouse, the Department would issue a public notification, as we’ve done throughout the pandemic,” Leon added.
Still, some Democratic lawmakers have called on the state to treat those institutions similarly, especially since the threat of in-person committee hearings and House sessions attended by hundreds of lawmakers haven’t been formally ruled out.
Both the House and Senate are at work devising rules ahead of the Legislature’s Jan. 6 meetings. House leaders have said their gathering may take the form of a drive-in style meeting where lawmakers would vote from their cars, while the Senate will meet via Zoom.
However, both chambers haven’t announced plans past that date.
Giuda said he disclosed his positive test to Senate leadership after he learned of the results and chose to alert colleagues and constituents.
“Who am I kidding? People have a right to know what’s happening,” said Giuda, who isn’t sure how he contracted the virus.
Giuda was last at the Statehouse on Dec. 7, “well outside of the possible exposure window of 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms,” according to a news release from the Senate.
“I’m transparent. I believe I owe that to the people,” he said. “I think it’s an opportunity to present a point of view that says ‘Look, this is serious business.” ”
Giuda’s wife Christine, a former Navy nurse, suffered a massive brain hemorrhage in 2016 and lives in a long-term care facility. He said he hasn’t seen her since September.
Newly elected state Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon, complimented Giuda on his openness, saying she has “not a lick of worry” about the upcoming session because of her colleagues’ commitment to safety.
Prentiss cited the Legislature’s opening day event held in December as evidence that leadership is taking the virus seriously. That in-person gathering saw senators spaced 6 feet apart outside and, unlike the House event, everyone was wearing masks, she said.
“It was very well-managed and I not for one moment was concerned for my safety,” said Prentiss, a career paramedic and former state EMS bureau chief. “They just kept things so tightly controlled with health and safety being the priority.”
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.