St. Petersburg mayoral hopeful Ken Welch tests positive for COVID-19

ST. PETERSBURG — Mayoral candidate Ken Welch has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The former Pinellas County Commissioner announced his diagnosis on Saturday in a Facebook post with a screenshot of his test results. Welch stressed the importance of getting tested and vaccinated.

“I feel fine, but with this knowledge I’m isolating and not spreading the virus to others,” he wrote. “Stay vigilant folks!”

Welch is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. His aunt, also fully vaccinated, recently died from the virus in North Carolina.

Reached Tuesday, Welch told the Tampa Bay Times he felt a little fatigued. He said one of his staffers tested positive following a Downtown Partnership event held Sept. 30 at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg hotel, where everyone was masked and socially distanced.

He said he’s let everyone know in attendance about the positive test, but that no one else seems to have gotten sick.

Welch went into isolation on Thursday and had to virtually attend his own in-person fundraiser that night.

Editor’s Note: This post has been corrected to reflect the timeline of when Welch’s staffer tested positive for COVID-19.