US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday with mild symptoms and would attend meetings virtually as he quarantined at home for the next five days.
News of Austin’s positive test comes after the Pentagon last week tightened restrictions at its headquarters over concern about the highly transmissible Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 that has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections worldwide.
The armed services are faced with the challenge of maintaining military readiness for soldiers, often in close quarters on ships and planes.
Photo: AFP
Austin, who is fully vaccinated and received a booster in early October, said in a statement that he last met US President Joe Biden on Dec. 21, more than a week before he started experiencing symptoms.
“As my doctor made clear to me, my fully vaccinated status — and the booster I received in early October — have rendered the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been,” Austin added.
He said that he requested a test earlier on Sunday after experiencing symptoms while at home on vacation. He was last at the Pentagon on Thursday.
Austin is one of the most senior members of the Biden administration to test positive for COVID-19.
In October, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for the virus.
US authorities registered at least 346,869 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. The US death toll from the disease rose by at least 377 to 828,562.
Austin said that he planned to attend meetings virtually when possible and would retain all authorities in running the defense department and overseeing military activities.
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks would represent him in some matters, he added.
“I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one. This remains a readiness issue,” Austin said.
About 98 percent of active-duty soldiers have received the COVID-19 vaccine, which is mandatory.
US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci on Sunday said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalizations due to a large number of COVID-19 cases even as early data suggests the Omicron variant is less severe than others.
The Omicron variant was estimated to account for 58.6 percent of the variants circulating in the US as of Dec. 25, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed.
Fauci said that the CDC would soon clarify whether people with COVID-19 who test negative should leave isolation, after confusion last week over guidance that would let people leave after five days without symptoms.
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