Texas Gov. Greg Abbott now testing negative for COVID-19

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attends a security briefing at the Weslaco Department of Public Safety DPS Headquarters on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 in Weslaco, Texas. Gov. Abbott says that he has tested negative for COVID-19, four days after testing positive. He said in a video clip he tweeted on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 that he's been told his infection was brief and mild because he was vaccinated. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has tested negative for COVID-19, just four days after testing positive.

“I’m told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination that I received,” Abbott said in a video clip posted on his Twitter account  on Saturday. “So I encourage others who have not yet received the vaccination to consider getting one.”

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When the Republican governor announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for the virus, his office said he was in good health and experiencing no symptoms. Abbott said Saturday that he will continue to quarantine as recommended by doctors.

Abbott said Saturday that his wife, Cecilia Abbott, continues to test negative.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican from the Houston area, said Saturday on Twitter that he’d says that he’d tested positive for COVID-19 and had moderate symptoms. Nehls said that he is fully vaccinated and hopes the symptoms pass soon.

“All Americans are free to make their own health decisions, but I strongly encourage getting vaccinated,” he wrote on Twitter Saturday. “It is scientifically proven to drastically reduce the risk of severe illness & death from COVID.”