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Law360 (March 23, 2020, 5:33 PM EDT ) Former FCC commissioner and current Cooley LLP partner Robert McDowell has been discharged from a Virginia hospital after falling ill with what doctors believe is the novel coronavirus, according to a pair of social media statements the attorney made over the weekend.
The ex-commissioner, who served two terms during end of George W. Bush's presidency and the beginning of Barack Obama's, wrote on Twitter Saturday that his doctor sent him to the emergency room for treatment of "mild pneumonia" linked to a likely COVID-19 infection.
As of Sunday, McDowell said he had been discharged from the hospital to self-quarantine and recover at home. He described his experience with the illness as "brutal" and said he is "still quite weak."
So there's no way to sugar coat this: my doctor had me go to the ER last, and good thing. I have mild pneumonia due to likely #COVID19 infection. Docs are giving me IV antibiotics and the aim is to not remain here long. #CarpeDiem #GodBlessAmerica 🇺🇸 #Freedom
— Robert M. McDowell (@McDowellTweet) March 21, 2020
Update: after three brutal days battling pneumonia and likely #COVID19 in the hospital, I'm being discharged to go home into isolation. Thanks for the plethora of messages - too many to respond to. I'm still quite weak and will need my sleep. Please respect that. #GodBless
— Robert M. McDowell (@McDowellTweet) March 22, 2020
McDowell joins a growing number of high-profile lawmakers and public policy figures who have contracted the highly contagious coronavirus. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar released a statement Monday that her husband, University of Baltimore School of Law professor John Bessler, has tested positive for the sickness and has been checked into a hospital in Virginia.
Before joining Cooley as a partner in the firm's communication regulatory practice in 2016, he worked as a communications partner at Wiley. His tenure as a Republican FCC commissioner ran from 2006 to 2013.
--Additional reporting by Aebra Coe. Editing by Peter Rozovsky.
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