State Sen. Ericksen sickened by COVID in El Salvador. Here’s the update on his condition
State Sen. Doug Ericksen is in stable condition at a Florida hospital and receiving treatment for COVID-19 after a medevac flight from El Salvador.
Ericksen, R-Ferndale, wrote to his legislative colleagues last week that he tested positive for COVID-19 in El Salvador and needed monoclonal antibodies, the same Regeneron treatment that former President Trump received in 2020.
“He’s definitely on the road to recovery,” said Luanne Van Werven of Lynden, who served with Ericksen in the Legislature from 2014-2020.
“It was obviously serious when he was back in El Salvador, but he’s definitely on the mend,” Van Werven told The Bellingham Herald.
Van Werven told The Herald that she texted with Ericksen and spoke to his wife Tasha Ericksen by telephone this week.
Ericksen was in stable condition at a Fort Lauderdale hospital, Van Werven said, adding that the family had given her permission to share his condition.
She said that Ericksen wished he could be home in northern Whatcom County, where large parts of his 42nd Legislative District were hit hard by flooding Nov. 13-15.
Ericksen served in the state House from 1998 to 2010, and in the Senate since 2010.
Nothing has been reported about Ericksen’s condition since Nov. 11, when he messaged members of the state House and Senate Republican caucus and asked for help.
His legislative spokesman Erik Smith was unable to provide any information about Ericksen’s condition or his location.
A public social media post earlier this week said Ericksen had been flown to Florida by Air Ambulance, a private medevac service, but its author told The Herald that he had not spoken directly to Ericksen.
Van Werven said Ericksen told her that his oxygen saturation levels were good.
“Tasha reports that he is getting good medical care and so they are pleased about that,” she said.
Ericksen hasn’t responded to text messages from The Herald.
In his message to legislators last week, Ericksen said his condition was “to the point that I feel it would be beneficial for me to receive an IV of monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron). I have a doctor here who can administer the IV, but the product is not available here.”
Smith told The Herald that he was unsure if Ericksen had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Ericksen has opposed vaccine mandates and pushed the state to ease many social-distancing measures enacted to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.
Because of pandemic-related travel restrictions, Ericksen likely would have been unable to take a commercial flight out of El Salvador after testing positive for COVID-19.
El Salvador has high COVID spread, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against travel there unless fully vaccinated.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 2:58 PM.
