Rev. Jesse Jackson, Wife Jacqueline, ‘Responding Positively’ To COVID-19 Treatment
Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, were “responding positively to treatments” for COVID-19 and remained under observation Sunday (Aug. 23) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, The Associated Press reported.
“Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatments,” the couple’s son Jonathan Jackson said in a statement, according to the AP. “My family appreciates all of the expressions of concern and prayers that have been offered on their behalf, and we will continue to offer our prayers for your family as well.”
The 79-year-old civil rights icon and his wife, 77, were hospitalized in Chicago after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released Saturday (Aug. 21) by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the non-profit organization Jackson founded.
While the minister publicly received a COVID-19 vaccine in January, his wife’s vaccination status was unclear, the AP said.
Jacqueline Jackson has an unspecified underlying health condition, and Rev. Jackson suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Despite his advanced age and health condition, the civil rights leader remained steadfastly dedicated to activism during the pandemic.
On July 26, Jackson was arrested during a sit-in outside of Arizona Sen. Krysten Sineman’s Phoenix office. He was among 39 people taken into custody, including civil rights leader Rev. William Barber, while protesting the Democratic lawmaker’s support of the Senate filibuster that would block voter rights legislation in Congress.
Johathan Jackson asked the public to “continue to pray for the full recovery of our parents.”
The family says it plans to release updates on the couple’s condition.
