Kamala Harris has tested positive for Covid-19, her office said Tuesday (Picture: AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the highest-ranking official in the Biden Administration to test positive for the virus
Harris, 57, has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden or First Lady Jill Biden due to their recent travel plans. She tested positive for the virus on both a rapid and PCR test, but ‘has exhibited no symptoms,’ her press secretary Kiersten Allen said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
‘Today, Vice President Harris tested positive for Covid-19 on rapid and PCR tests. She has exhibited no symptoms,’ Allen said.
‘She has not been a close contact to the President or First Lady due to their respective recent travel schedules.’
She will isolate at her residence but to continue to work remotely, only when she tests negative for the virus will she return to the White House.
Harris had traveled to her home state of California over the weekend. During her visit, she announced the Biden administration will ban anti-satellite weapons tests, a move hoped to encourage more responsible behavior in space, according to the White House.
The Vice President received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine weeks before taking office, and a second dose days after Inauguration Day in 2021. She received a booster in late October and a second booster on April 1.
Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, tested positive for Covid-19 last month.
Democratic Senators Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, and Ron Wyden, of Oregon, also tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Both are fully vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms.
Harris’ diagnosis comes after over a dozen attendees of the annual Gridiron dinner, including Jamal Simmons, Harris’ communications director, tested positive. At that time, dinner guests Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Representatives Adam Schiff and Joaquin Castro all tested positive for the virus. Harris did not attend the event.
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