Anthony Fauci Tests Positive for Covid, Has Mild Symptoms
Fauci is fully vaccinated and has already been boosted twice.
(Bloomberg) -- Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden who has been at the forefront of the US pandemic response, tested positive for Covid-19.
Fauci, who’s also director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is fully vaccinated and has already been boosted twice, the agency said Wednesday in a statement. The 81-year-old is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue to work from home, according to the statement. More than two years into the pandemic, it’s the first time Fauci has tested positive for the virus, the agency said.
Fauci has not recently been in close contact with Biden or other senior administration officials, according to a release. Concerns over the 79-year-old president’s vulnerability to infection began mounting earlier this week when Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive for Covid -- his second time catching the virus in less than a month. Becerra previously had Covid in May while traveling in Berlin ahead of G7 meetings with other health officials.
Fauci had been set to appear Thursday morning in front of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to give an update on the federal response to the pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf are also listed as witnesses.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced Monday he had tested positive for Covid, his second time catching the virus this year. Trudeau was in Los Angeles last week with Biden for the Summit of the Americas.
(Updates to add additional information on Senate appearance)
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