SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that he has contracted COVID-19 again.
On Monday, the 50-year-old entrepreneur tweeted he was “supposedly” diagnosed with the coronavirus, sharing details about his relatively good condition.
“Covid-19 is the virus of Theseus. How many gene changes before it’s not Covid-19 anymore? I supposedly have it again (sigh), but almost no symptoms,” he tweeted. However, he did not provide any explanation as to how he was tested.
The announcement comes after Tesla’s factory in Shanghai faced regional COVID restrictions that reportedly require it to suspend production until around April 1. China is imposing a lockdown in two phases to control the current outbreak. Tesla also suspended production in Shanghai after officials implemented COVID health orders.
In China, Tesla’s attitude has been more cooperative. A Tesla spokesperson explained that the company strives to “fulfill its epidemic prevention responsibilities and that it believed Shanghai’s COVID-19 measures helped lay the foundation for the city’s future development,” according to Reuters.
Tesla has been expanding its manufacturing capabilities, with a new factory underway in Brandenburg, Germany. It has obtained conditional approval for commercial production there. In addition, the company plans a “Cyber Rodeo” grand opening event for a new factory in Austin, Texas in April.
However, Tesla is facing widespread chip shortages, inflationary pressure, and supply chain disruptions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Despite these challenges and Musk’s COVID diagnosis, Tesla shares rallied over 8% in mid-day trading after the company announced plans for another stock split.
In 2020, Musk opened up about testing positive for COVID-19, forcing him to quarantine amid a much-anticipated SpaceX astronaut launch to the International Space Station, according to CNN.
In December 2021, Musk disclosed in an interview with Time that he was vaccinated, calling the science behind immunizations “unequivocal” while stating his opposition to vaccine mandates. He said at the time, “You [unvaccinated] are taking a risk, but people do risky things all the time. I believe we’ve got to watch out for the erosion of freedom in America.”
