White House spokeswoman tests positive for COVID-19

White House principal deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Sunday night, that she had tested positive for COVID-19.

Jean-Pierre said in a statement that she took a PCR test earlier in the day after returning from U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe and that the test came back positive.

The White House spokeswoman also revealed that, she last saw the President during a socially distanced meeting on Saturday but he is not considered a close contact as defined by CDC guidance.

The CDC, which stands for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, defines close contact as someone who is less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from an infected individual for more than 15 minutes.

“Thanks to being fully vaccinated and boosted, I have only experienced mild symptoms.

“In alignment with White House COVID-19 protocols, I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test,” Jean-Pierre added.

Ahead of Biden’s trip, White House press secretary Jen Psaki had tested positive for the coronavirus, the second for her in just a few months.

Jean-Pierre, 44, joined a list of prominent U.S. figures who have recently been infected with COVID-19, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

The United States has so far reported nearly 80 million COVID-19 cases and more than 976,000 deaths, both the highest in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

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Xinhua