Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has covid-19 and was hospitalized | His wife has also tested positive for the coronavirus

American civil rights activist Jesse jackson he was boarding school with his wife after the two positive coronavirus test. The reverend had been vaccinated in January.

Jackson, 79, and his wife Jacqueline, 77, were in treatment at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, the Rainbow PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) Coalition reported in a Facebook statement. This entity led by the Reverend also noted that anyone who has been in contact with the couple in the past six days “must follow the guidelines of the CDC” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both”added the short statement.

Jackson, a leader who scored with Luther King

Jackson is one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States since the 1960s, when he paraded with the Reverend Martin Luther King.

He also ran for the Democratic Party nomination twice for president in the 1980s, but lost both times, first to Gary Hart (1984) and then to Michael Dukakis (1988) . It was not until 2009 that Barak Obama became the first African-American candidate and then president.

The Reverend, who was US President Bill Clinton’s envoy to Africa, received France’s highest order of merit, the Legion of Honor, from French President Emmanuel Macron last July.

A promoter of covid vaccination

Jackson -who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease since 2017- was vaccinated against the coronavirus in January of this year and actively promoted vaccination, especially among blacks.

“For understandable reasons … African Americans harbor suspicions about scientists and vaccines,” the reverend said in a statement, adding, however, that if they “refused to be vaccinated, everyone would be in danger.”

Vaccines against Covid-19 are free in the United States, although only half of the total population is fully vaccinated.

Jackson’s hospitalization announcement comes as US hit by new wave of covid-19 cases driven by Delta variant, which has skyrocketed daily cases to more than 70,000 across the country. The government has confirmed that it will give a third dose as a preventive measure.