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Coronavirus in Texas

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says he has tested positive for coronavirus

Miller said he will quarantine at his ranch. He's the second Texas statewide elected official to confirm testing positive for the virus.

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Helena Bottemiller Evich moderates the “Ag in the Modern World” panel with guests Sid Miller, Drew Springer and Tom Vilsack at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.
It is unclear how Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller contracted the coronavirus or whether he has received medical attention. Credit: Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Wednesday evening that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He is the second known statewide elected official to test positive for the coronavirus.

"Friends, I just got news that I have tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, will be quarantining at my ranch,” Miller said in a written statement. “Not feeling my best, but I've survived rodeo injuries, broken bones, hip, double knee and shoulder surgery, west nile virus and cancer, and I'm going to beat this too. Thank you for your prayers and support, and please continue to pray for our first responders, doctors, nurses and health care workers, especially in our rural areas. Together, we'll make it through this."

Miller, 65, released no further details. It is unclear how he contracted the virus or whether he has received medical attention.

The announcement came a day after The Texas Tribune revealed that at least three Texas Board of Education members tested positive for the coronavirus following an in-person meeting last month, raising more questions about the state’s emphasis on safety just weeks before the new legislative session begins next month.

The first statewide elected official to publicly confirm a positive coronavirus test was Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann in May.

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