Chris Christie, who coached Trump for debate, hospitalized with COVID-19

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tweeted Saturday that he's checked himself into a hospital, hours after he announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Christie said that after consulting with his doctors, he went to Morristown Medical Center on Saturday afternoon. He said he's only experiencing mild symptoms.

"Due to my history of asthma, we decided this is an important precautionary measure," he tweeted.

Christie, who has publicly struggled with his weight, is the latest in a string of virus cases connected to President Donald Trump's inner circle.

Trump's former 2016 rival told The Associated Press on Friday that the last time he was with the president was Tuesday in Cleveland during preparations for his debate with former Vice-President Joe Biden. Christie had tweeted Friday morning that he had last tested negative ahead of Tuesday's debate and was not having any symptoms then.

In 2013, during Christie's first term as New Jersey governor, he underwent lap-band surgery and lost a significant amount of weight. Two years before that, he was hospitalized for difficulty breathing. The 58-year-old uses an inhaler.

He once called himself "the healthiest fat guy you've ever seen."

Text messages were left seeking comment from Christie early Saturday evening.

In addition to Trump and first lady Melania Trump, multiple people who have travelled with the president or attended events with him over the last several days have contracted the virus.