Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, was discharged from a rehab hospital Wednesday after receiving successful treatment for Covid-19 and Parkinson’s disease.
Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, were admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Aug. 21 after testing positive for Covid. Jackson, 79, had been fully vaccinated, while his wife, 77, had not due to a “preexisting condition” that worried them, he told The Associated Press.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages people with certain preexisting conditions, such as diabetes and cancer, to get vaccinated because they are particularly vulnerable to the virus.
Jacqueline was discharged from the hospital Sept. 4, and Jackson was discharged Wednesday morning after being transferred to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for physical therapy to treat his Parkinson’s disease.
“Both my parents are ever so thankful for all of the prayers, cards and calls they have received during this very trying period of their lives,” said Jonathan Jackson, their son who is the national spokesperson for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, in a statement.
“We are also thankful for the excellent Northwestern Memorial Hospital medical team that treated our parents for COVID-19, and the professional and excellent therapy our father received while at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab,” Jackson continued.
Following Jacqueline’s discharge three weeks ago, the Jackson family urged those who have not been vaccinated to get the shots “immediately,” according to The Associated Press.
Jackson, who was a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has been a key figure who has guided the modern civil rights movement on issues such as voting rights. He has remained active in the fight for voting rights, and was even arrested outside the U.S. Capitol during a demonstration calling for the end of the filibuster last month before his hospitalization, according to The Washington Post.
