Jesse Jackson & Wife Hospitalized With COVID-19

Rev. Jesse Jackson, and his wife, Jacqueline, are under doctors’ observation at a Chicago hospital after tested positive for COVID-19. According to the statement released by Jackson’s Rainbow/Push Coalition, both are now being monitored closely.

Jesse Jackson is 79, and his wife, Jacqueline, is 77.

“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” the statement reads. “There are no further updates at this time.”

“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments.”

In the statement, their son, Jonathan Jackson, stressed that COVID-19 is a “serious disease” and that they will need prayers at this moment.

“The status of my parents has not changed,” their son said in the statement. “We are ever mindful that COVID-19 is a serious disease and we ask that you continue in prayer for my parents, as we remain prayerful for yours.”

Jackson was vaccinated in January while encouraging other elderly people to get their doses at that time. It is yet unknown, however, if his wife was vaccinated against COVID-19.

Following the news, many Democrats have wished the couple a speedy recovery, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

“The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been one of the great leaders of our time in the fight for racial, social and economic justice. He and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Jane and I and all Americans wish them a full and speedy recovery,” Sanders tweeted.

Jackson is one of the best-known mentees of the late Rev. Martin Luther King. He was also a crucial figure in leading the modern civil rights movement on various issues for the black community, including voting rights.

In 2017, Jackson revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but has stayed active even during the pandemic last year.