April 8 (UPI) — The White House admitted concerns about President Joe Biden contracting the coronavirus for the first time after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was diagnosed with it Wednesday along with others in Washington, D.C.
Biden, who publicly received his second booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 30, had urged the public that the United States is in a new phase of addressing the virus that is centered on protection, testing and rapid treatment.
“We take every precaution to ensure that we keep him safe, we keep the vice president safe, the first lady, the second gentleman, our staff here,” White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said, according to The Hill. “But it is certainly possible that he will test positive for COVID, and he is vaccinated, he is boosted and protected from the most severe strains of the virus.”
Pelosi, D-Calif., tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, among a growing list of lawmakers and Cabinet members who have tested positive over the past week.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., tested positive on Thursday, saying he had experienced “mild, cold-like symptoms and fatigue.” Both Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo tested positive on Wednesday, while Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., confirmed a positive test on Tuesday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, tested positive on Thursday, according to her office, making it a bipartisan outbreak.
Biden, 79, is at increased risk of severe illness because of his age, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the president’s risk is reduced because he has been fully vaccinated and has two booster shots.
“Look, certainly we have seen an increase in cases, we know that, the BA.2 variant is very transmissible, Bedingfield said. “We are taking many, many precautions. We take precautions to ensure that the president is protected.”
