On Thursday, the office of Democratic California Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she would be receiving treatment in a San Francisco hospital for shingles.
The oldest-serving member of the chamber expressed to The Post that she hopes “to return to the Senate later this month.”
“I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles. I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco and expect to make a full recovery,” In a statement released by her spokesman, Senator Dianne Feinstein said.
The virus of shingles can cause a distressing, blistery rash to appear on the side of your face or body and might necessitate prescription antivirals as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Distressingly enough, these rashes may take two to four weeks until they are fully gone. In addition, you could suffer from fever, headaches, chills, and gastrointestinal discomfort.
Senator Feinstein’s office declined to disclose the medical facility she is currently receiving care.
The experienced Democrat has been in California since February’s end when she started feeling ill. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this resulted in her missing twelve votes and two committee hearings during that time.
On February 14th, Senator Feinstein made a groundbreaking announcement that she will not seek reelection in 2024 – making it her 30th year since being elected as the Golden State’s first female U.S. senator back in 1992.
Three renowned Californian Democrats, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee have initiated initiatives to supersede Senator Feinstein.
Dianne Feinstein made history when she became the first woman to hold the office of Mayor of San Francisco, serving from 1978 until 1988.
The Chronicle has reported that this year, she is part of four Senate committees that have already held a total of twelve public and six private hearings. She has personally attended nine out of these eighteen sessions.
Her spokesman clarified to the paper that two of her absences were due to scheduling conflicts with other committee meetings or briefings.
Before becoming ill, Senator Feinstein neglected to cast two votes on the Senate floor.
Following her discovery of shingles, she has been absent from twelve votes in Congress – two of which were cast to confirm a federal judge for the Northern District of California.