Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife Jaqueline Jackson are reportedly “responding positively” to COVID-19 treatments. The couple was hospitalized on Saturday (August 21) after testing positive for COVID-19.
The civil rights icon’s son, Jonathan Jackson, told NBC News that the medical team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago have been monitoring the couple closely. Jackson did not reveal details about the treatments his parents were receiving or how they may have contracted the virus.
“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatment,” Jonathan Jackson said in a statement, as reported by The Hill.
Over the weekend, friends, celebrities, and longtime colleagues, including Rev. Al Sharpton and children of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., took to social media to post their prayers for the couple. "Prayer changes things," Rev. Sharpton tweeted.
Both Rev. Jackson, 79, and his wife, 77, received their COVID-19 vaccines in January. In 2017, the civil rights leader publicly disclosed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Earlier this year, Rev. Jackson underwent surgery.
Prior to testing positive for COVID-19, the civil rights leader hadn't stopped his work. Earlier this month, Rev. Jackson was arrested by Capitol police while protesting for federal civil rights legislation. He also attended call-to-action protest to extend the eviction moratorium led by Rep. Cori Bush at the end of July.
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