“I last saw the president on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six feet away and wore masks,” the statement read.
“While I have not had close face-to-face contact with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday, and have run negative for four days after that last contact, I am disclosing today’s positive test for full transparency. “, Psaki clarified in the statement.
Psaki chose not to join Biden, 78, on his trip to Rome and Glasgow this week because a member of his household tested positive for the virus, after which he self-quarantined, he said. He has been in quarantine since Wednesday and tested negative repeatedly before testing positive on Sunday, he noted.
Psaki planned to return to work at the end of a 10-day quarantine period, following a negative rapid test for COVID-19, it said in the statement.
The White House has been fighting to control the pandemic, and millions of Americans refuse to receive life-saving vaccines.
Psaki said earlier in the year that Biden, who is fully vaccinated, undergoes random tests every two weeks as surveillance, he has asked from his doctor, Kevin O’Connor. Biden received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc / BioNTech, including a booster last month.
Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump avoided face masks and downplayed the severity of the virus in its early stages. He contracted COVID-19 in the final stages of the 2020 presidential campaign and many of his staff, including former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, were infected.
Many Americans are still resistant to vaccines, and only 58% of the population is fully immunized. The United States has recorded more than 745,000 deaths from covid-19.
US health authorities have approved booster shots of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
With information from Reuters and AFP
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