Vice President Kamala Harris Was Exposed to Covid

Politics|Vice President Kamala Harris was exposed to the coronavirus.

• Dec. 22, 2021Updated 8:44 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris was exposed to the coronavirus by a unit subordinate who was adjacent to her passim the time connected Tuesday and aboriginal tested positive, the vice president’s spokeswoman said successful a connection connected Wednesday evening.

Ms. Harris tested antagonistic for the coronavirus connected Wednesday aft learning of the exposure, officials said. She volition beryllium tested again connected Friday and connected Monday, successful accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Yesterday, Monday and each time past week, this unit subordinate tested antagonistic for Covid-19,” Symone D. Sanders, the vice president’s spokeswoman, said successful a statement. “This unit subordinate is afloat vaccinated and boosted and did not acquisition symptoms. Others who were successful adjacent interaction with this unit subordinate are being contacted and volition beryllium advised to get tested.”

White House officials said connected Monday that President Biden had besides been successful adjacent contact with a unit subordinate who aboriginal tested positive. Since the encounter, Mr. Biden has tested antagonistic twice, including erstwhile connected Wednesday morning.

In some cases, the White House declined to place the unit members who had tested positive, citing privateness rules. Officials said neither Mr. Biden nor Ms. Harris were required to quarantine oregon restrict their activities due to the fact that some had received antagonistic tests and neither showed symptoms.

“The vice president volition proceed with her regular schedule,” Ms. Sanders wrote. “This evening, she volition depart Joint Base Andrews for Los Angeles, wherever she and the 2nd man volition stay done the New Year.”

The effort to support the president and vice president steadfast comes arsenic the medication scrambles to face the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, and arsenic respective lawmakers person contracted Covid-19. On Wednesday night, Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat successful the House, announced that helium had tested affirmative but was asymptomatic.

“No 1 is immune,” Mr. Clyburn, 81, said successful a Twitter post. “I impulse anyone who has not done truthful to support themselves by getting vaccinated and boosted.”

Rick of vulnerability to the coronavirus has been a interest astatine the White House since the opening of the pandemic. Several elder unit members to President Donald J. Trump became infected past year, and Mr. Trump spent respective days successful the hospital with the disease.

The Biden White House took much precautions. People who participate the White House are required to beryllium vaccinated, and those who interact with the president oregon the vice president indispensable beryllium tested beforehand.

Still, Jen Psaki, the White House property secretary, became sick with Covid successful October, signaling that employees are inactive susceptible successful the confines of the 18-acre White House complex.