White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice tests positive for Covid-19
Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice
By Betsy Klein and Kate Sullivan, CNN
White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice has tested positive for Covid-19, she announced Monday, becoming the latest high-ranking Biden administration official to contract the coronavirus.
Rice said she last saw President Joe Biden five days before her diagnosis but was masked and is not considered a close contact. She is fully vaccinated and has had two booster shots.
“This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine and grateful to be vaccinated and double boosted. I last saw the President in person on Wednesday—masked—and under CDC guidance he is not considered a close contact,” Rice tweeted.
Several top Biden officials — who are all fully vaccinated and boosted — have tested positive for Covid-19 in recent weeks, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken tested positive shortly after attending the White House Correspondent’s Dinner in Washington, which was also attended by President Joe Biden. In the days after the event, reporters and staffers from CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Politico and other participating news organizations also tested positive for the virus.
In recent months, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Attorney General Merrick Garland, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also all tested positive.
White House officials have acknowledged it is possible the President will at some point contract Covid-19 but have emphasized the precautions being taken to prevent infection. The White House is also not considering returning to pandemic-era restrictions, according to Psaki.
The-CNN-Wire
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