Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine is under self-quarantine while she waits for results of a coronavirus test ordered by her doctor after she started experiencing possible symptoms of the infection.

“I haven’t left my bedroom in five days,” she told the Register on Wednesday evening.

“I have to assume this is (the coronavirus),” she said. “If it’s not, that would be really welcome news. But I can’t take any chances, and none of us can take any chances.”

Porter — a Democrat who represents Orange County’s 45th District, from Irvine to Mission Viejo and north through Anaheim — said she developed sniffles and cold-like symptoms in the middle of last week. Soon, she had bad body aches and severe fatigue.

She stayed home, isolated in her bedroom, and contacted her healthcare provider. But since she initially didn’t have a fever she said her doctor directed her to continue to rest and self-quarantine.

Over the weekend, Porter said her fever was above 100.4 degrees. So Monday morning, she followed her doctor’s instructions on how to safely visit the local office in Irvine for a coronavirus nasal swab test. Porter said she also was tested for the flu, strep throat and other conditions. She got a call while she was still in the parking lot, leaving the office, that the flu test was negative.

She’s still waiting for results of the coronavirus test, which she was told could take between two and 10 business days.

Porter said she’ll stay in self-quarantine until she has the results and her doctor tells her it’s safe to leave her house.

In the meantime, Porter said she’s participating in Congressional business by telephone. She also continues to help lead a push for House members to be able to vote remotely, which could allow her to vote on the $2 trillion stimulus package.

Porter, a single mom to three children, said her kids “are so far healthy and handling things well.” But for five days, she’s had them stop at her bedroom doorway to talk with her so they don’t get too close.

People took to Twitter to respond to the news of Porter’s self-quarantine, sharing messages such as, “You’re a national treasure. Sending good thoughts from Virginia.” and “If anyone can take Covid-19 to school it’s you Ms. Porter.”

At least three members of congress — Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky along with Reps. Ben McAdams of Utah and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida — have tested positive for the coronavirus. And some three dozen congress members have self-quarantined, though most were due to interaction with affected people rather than experiencing any symptoms themselves.

Porter said she’s had limited contact with anyone since she returned from Washington, D.C. on March 14.

“I definitely was already sheltering in place, only leaving for essential things that I could not do remotely,” she said.

But Porter said her own experience with worrying about having the virus has shown her the importance of helping families afford child care costs through this time.

She said it’s also driven home how important it is to stay home, even if you think you just have a cold or are getting better, since her own illness has flared up and taken on different symptoms several times over the past week. She thought she was feeling a bit better Wednesday morning, for example. But as the day wore on, she said her throat got extremely sore.

“I really encourage people to be cautious,” she said. “Give it several days before you even leave the house.”

Since the coronavirus outbreak started, Porter has pushed for more information and testing coupled with less bureaucracy for researchers and for companies supplying goods to healthcare providers.

A video of Porter, who is a former consumer protections attorney and law professor at UC Irvine, went viral earlier this month when she pressed CDC Director Robert Redfield to commit his agency to pay for coronavirus testing for uninsured Americans if it’s medically needed.

A video of Porter’s sister, Dr. Emily Porter, an emergency physician in Austin, Texas, also recently went viral as she explained the impact people staying home can have in flattening the curve on the coronavirus epidemic.