TEXAS — Beto O’Rourke, the former Texas congressman and current Democratic candidate for governor, on Monday announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

O’Rourke has been on the campaign trail and in a statement said he is only experiencing mild symptoms.

"In addition to being fully vaccinated and boosted, I regularly test for COVID-19 while traveling the state for town hall meetings. I tested negative yesterday morning before testing positive today. I have mild symptoms and will be following public health guidelines,” O’Rourke said in a statement.

O’Rourke, 49, who cruised to victory in his March primary, will face Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in November.

Abbott in August 2021 tested positive for COVID-19. Like O’Rourke, he is vaccinated and at the time reported no symptoms.

While cases of and hospitalizations for COVID-19 have dropped dramatically in Texas in recent months, Monday’s news is a reminder that the virus remains out there.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Sunday reported 754 new confirmed cases of the disease, 261 new probable cases and one additional fatality attributed to it.

There are currently 752 Texans hospitalized with COVID-19, of whom 173 are in intensive care and 110 of whom are on ventilators. There are currently 47 pediatric patients hospitalized with the virus in Texas.