Former NJ Gov. Chris Christie Released from Hospital Following COVID Diagnosis

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was released from Morristown Medical Center on Saturday morning, a week after announcing that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

"I am happy to let you know that this morning I was released from Morristown Medical Center," Christie wrote in a tweet. "I want to thank the extraordinary doctors & nurses who cared for me for the last week. Thanks to my family & friends for their prayers. I will have more to say about all of this next week."

Christie, 58, first announced his COVID-19 diagnosis on October 3, just one day after President Donald Trump tweeted that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, tested positive. Later that day, Christie tweeted that he had checked himself in to the New Jersey hospital as a precautionary measure after consulting with his doctors. He reported that he had "mild symptoms" and referenced his history of asthma.

Christie was among several people infected in Republican circles, with more than a dozen Trump aides, GOP congressmen and administration officials testing positive for the virus in the days surrounding the president's diagnosis.

Although it is unclear how and when Christie was first infected, he was in attendance at the Rose Garden Ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on September 26, which is said to have been a "superspreader" event for the virus. The former governor was also in Trump's debate prep room ahead of the first presidential debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden on September 29, in which Christie said "no one was wearing masks."

Christie told CNN on Friday that doctors prescribed him the antiviral treatment remdesivir, the same drug that Trump took while hospitalized with the coronavirus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The president was released from the hospital on Monday evening after three days of treatment.

While Christie has not yet updated the public on his condition and the severity of his infection, Christie's son, Andrew Christie, told the Associated Press earlier this week that his father was in a COVID isolation room at the hospital but was "doing well."

WNYC Reporter Matt Katz, known for covering Christie for years, wrote on Thursday that three friends of the governor said he was "feeling fine and getting great care," mentioning that he had been making phone calls since he arrived at the hospital.

Current New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tweeted on Saturday that he and New Jersey first lady, Tammy Murphy, were "so glad to hear" of Christie's release from the hospital.