CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, 79, and his wife, Jacqueline, 77, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Saturday.
Jesse Jackson, a famed civil rights leader, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January during a publicized event as he urged others to vaccinate as soon as possible. The two are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” according to the statement authorized by their son, Jonathan Jackson.
“There are no further updates at this time,” the statement said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”
A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson was key in guiding the modern civil rights movement on numerous issues, including voting rights. Jackson has remained active, most recently advocating for COVID-19 vaccines for Black people, who lag behind white people in the United States’ vaccination drive.
