Washington- Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19, her office announced Tuesday.
Harris, 57, received positive rapid and PCR tests but is asymptomatic, according to her press secretary, Kirsten Allen. He will self-isolate and work from the vice president’s residence. Allen aggregate that Harris is taking Pfizer paxlovid antiviral pills, which can reduce the risk of serious illness, as instructed by your doctors.
Harris has not been in close contact with either President Biden or First Lady Dr. Jill Biden due to their recent travel plans, the statement said, and will return to the White House once she tests negative. She has been vaccinated and received two booster shots.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I have no symptoms and will continue to isolate myself and follow CDC guidelines. I am grateful to have been vaccinated and boosted,” Harris tweeted.
Mr. Biden and Harris spoke on the phone Tuesday afternoon, and the president “wanted to check in and make sure she has everything she needs while she’s quarantining at home,” according to the White House.
The vice president’s positive diagnosis comes more than a month after her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, tested positive for COVID-19.
Several other White House staffers, including Harris communications director Jamal Simmons and Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa, also received positive tests earlier this month, as did senior Washington officials including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The vice president was scheduled to meet with Biden in the Oval Office on Tuesday morning for a daily intelligence briefing, though she did not participate in the meeting, her spokesman said.
A White House official told CBS News that Harris went to the White House Tuesday morning and was tested for the coronavirus in her West Wing office as part of her regular routine. Harris then left the White House in her motorcade after receiving a positive test.
The last time he saw the president was on April 18, the day of the White House Easter Egg Roll, after which he left for California, where he spent the week attending events. Harris returned to Washington on Monday from Los Angeles.
In addition to being first in the presidential line of succession, Harris also plays a crucial role in the 50-50 Senate, casting tie-breaking votes.
“I think if you step back and look at the vice president, she feels driven, especially twice,” White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told reporters on Tuesday. “We have a very, very contagious variant. It’s going to be hard to guarantee that nobody gets COVID in the United States. It’s not even a policy goal.”
While the nation saw a sharp drop in new coronavirus infections following a mid-January spike fueled by the highly contagious Omicron, there has been a slight rise in cases in recent weeks due to the emergence of the new BA sublineage. 2 of the Omicron variant.
As part of their efforts to protect Americans from the virus and strengthen access to treatmentThe White House announced Tuesday that it is expanding availability of Paxlovid. First authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in December, the pills were in short supply, but delivery of the antiviral has since been expedited.
The White House is also launching more “test to treat” sites, where Americans can get tested and, if found to have the coronavirus, receive free oral antiviral pills in one visit.
Weijia Jiang and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.