WASHINGTON (AP) – White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Sunday that she had COVID-19.
She said she was last in contact with Biden on Tuesday when she met him at the White House. The dogs said they were more than 6 feet apart and were wearing masks.
Psaki did not travel with President Joe Biden, who was at the top of the Group of 20 in Rome this weekend and is heading to Glasgow, Scotland, for the UN climate summit on Monday.
Psaki, 42, was planning to travel with the president, but interrupted the trip just as he was ready to travel to Europe after learning that members of her household were positive for COVID-19.
“Since then, I have been quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) on COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Psaki said in a statement. “But I was positive about COVID today.”
Psaki said she shows only mild symptoms.
“Although I have not had close personal contact with the President or senior White House staff since Wednesday – and the test was negative four days after the last contact – I am revealing today’s positive test due to the abundance of transparency,” Psaki said.
White House staff and others traveling with the president are tested daily for COVID-19 before leaving Washington, and are all fully vaccinated. Many officials also received booster injections due to the nearby environment and frequent travel associated with their work.
Biden received a COVID-19 amplifier on Sept. 27, shortly after federal regulators approved a third dose for many Americans.
Biden was accompanied on the trip by Chief Deputy Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. Psaki said she will return to work in person after completing a 10-day quarantine and after a negative rapid test.