USA: several cases of COVID-19 detected at the White House

Several people working in the White House, including a senior official, have tested positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, Joe Biden’s government spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

The press secretary said that the senior official, whose identity he did not reveal, tested positive on Monday and only showed “mild” symptoms of the disease, and nobody he had had no contact with President Joe Biden or other senior officials.

“I want to confirm that yesterday (Monday) a fully vaccinated White House official tested positive for COVID-19 off the premises, “ Psaki told reporters.

Another positive case was a spokesperson for U.S. Lower House Speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi. The White House official and Pelosi spokesperson who tested positive were both at an outdoor reception at a Washington hotel last week. as well as a delegation of Texas state lawmakers visiting the capital, according to the digital newspaper Axios.

At least two of those Texas lawmakers tested positive over the weekend, days after also meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris, which the team even determined did not run the risk of becoming infected and therefore should not go into quarantine.

Psaki assured this Tuesday that Biden – who is vaccinated – is tested for covid-19 “every two weeks”, like many of his advisers, while journalists who have access to the president are forced to submit to a rapid test the day they see him.

He added that according to “Rigorous” protocols, official will stay away from White House pending further tests and that a contact search is in progress.

“We know there will be cases”, Psaki told reporters. “But as this incident shows, the cases in vaccinated people are generally mild. The White House is prepared for cases with regular testing to appear ”.

Added that other White House staff at lower levels of responsibility have also tested positive, without giving a number.

It is “another reminder of the effectiveness of anticovid vaccines against serious illnesses or hospitalizations ”, he said at a press conference.

The vaccination campaign in the United States has stalled in recent weeks after major advances. About 68% of adults have received at least a first dose, but there are large geographic disparities.

Opposition to the vaccine is strongly linked to Political division in the country, with much more pronounced hostility in the right-wing demographics, especially among supporters of former President Donald Trump who live in the southern states of the country.

With information from AFP and EFE

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