United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced on Saturday.
According to a senior administration official who spoke on the requested anonymity, Sullivan has constant interaction with US President Joe Biden, but the last time they spoke was early this week. The source added Sullivan had been keeping his distance from Biden after "a couple" of people with whom he had been in close contact had tested positive for the virus.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson noted that Sullivan is "asymptomatic and he has not been in close contact with the president."
On Thursday, the White House announced that Biden had tested negative that day. A request for comment from the White House on whether Biden had been tested more recently was not returned immediately.
President Joe Biden's COVID-19 Testing Schedule Questioned
According to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparred with NBC reporter Peter Alexander during a briefing about the period of Biden's most recent COVID-19 test.
When the journalist asked Jean-Pierre about Biden's recent testing schedule, she said: "It's a regular cadence. That's what we do. We will share, per CDC, when he was a close contact, and he has not been a close contact. If he was a close contact, we will let you know."
As Alexander persisted in inquiring about the precise date, Jean-Pierre said that the weekly testing is a routine protocol for Biden, as prescribed by his physician, and only close contacts are affected.
Before the announcement of Sullivan's condition, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President's Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tested positive for COVID-19 via a rapid antigen test on June 15, per the Hill.
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According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the 81-year-old employee had not been in close communication with US President Joe Biden and other senior government officials.
Fauci is suffering from minor COVID-19 symptoms and is now on Paxlovid, a Pfizer antiviral drug.
The National Institutes of Health said that Fauci "is fully vaccinated and has been boosted twice." He will also undergo necessary pandemic protocols and treatment.
US Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old on Saturday, paving the way for a nationwide distribution next week.
The CDC took action after its panel of experts voted earlier on Saturday to recommend COVID-19 immunizations for those youngsters, as per a report from Channel News Asia.
Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, in a statement, said: "We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today's decision, they can."
Moderna's vaccine for children aged six months to five years and Pfizer vaccine BioNTech's for children aged six months to four years were both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The vaccine from Pfizer is already approved for children more than five years old.
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