Duluth Mayor Emily Larson Tests Positive for COVID-19

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Mayor Emily Larson tweeted on Thursday that she has tested positive for COVID-19.

Larson said that she is in her second day of quarantine and just received her positive test result.

On Wednesday, the mayor said that her household had tested positive for COVID, noting that especially with more in-person events happening again, the virus continues to spread.

While cases can range in severity, the current COVID variant is milder than previous ones, but can still cause symptoms.

Larson said that she goes to the DECC frequently for COVID tests, where both PCR saliva tests and rapid tests are offered. Testing there remains free and open to the public.

She said she had tested negative on Wednesday but still had symptoms, so decided to quarantine and get tested again.

The virus can take days to replicate enough in the body to create a positive test result, so false negative test results can happen, which is why health officials urge people to stay home if they’re feeling sick.

Larson said that she and her family members are vaccinated and have had their booster shots, adding that “our symptoms are manageable.”

She lamented that she has to skip an event put on by an organization called Heartland Forward that she was invited to speak at.

Larson said this is the first time she’s tested positive for the virus, and she’ll be quarantining for five to seven days.