A White House official confirmed that the White House staffer tested positive outside the campus.
“In accordance with our rigorous COVID-19 protocols, officers remain off campus as they wait for a confirmatory PCR test. The White House Medical Unit has conducted contact tracing interviews and any close contact between White House principals and staff No. has been determined. The person has mild symptoms,” the official said.
“We know there will be success cases, but as this example shows, cases in vaccinated individuals are usually mild,” the official continued. “The White House is gearing up for successful cases with routine testing. This is another reminder of the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against serious illness or hospitalization. We wish our colleague a speedy recovery.”
Another administration official said the White House official had no recent contact with President Joe Biden.
A second administration official told CNN, “If the vaccines are 90-95% effective, you would have 5-10% of the vaccinated population who either test positive but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. You have What won’t happen. There are members of the vaccinated population who are going to the hospital with serious illness or dying.”
Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff Drew Hamill said in a statement to CNN that the speaker had not had contact with the man in his office who tested positive since the exposure, which Hamill contacted Texas Democrats last week. said.
“Yesterday, a fully vaccinated senior spokesperson in the speaker’s press office tested positive for COVID after contact with members of the Texas State Legislature last week,” Hamill said. “This person has no contact with the Speaker since the exposure. The entire press office is working remotely today, except for those who have no contact with the person or have tested negative recently. Our office Will continue to follow guidance. Closely to the attending physician’s office.”
Psaki said, “Done. I would say that in accordance with an agreement we made to be transparent and make information available during the transition, we have committed that we will release the information proactively if we are commissioned officers. ,” said Psaki, adding that there had been other success cases among White House staff.
Psaki later clarified to the White House official that there was no commissioned officer who tested positive, but declined to say which office the officer worked in, citing privacy concerns. None of the other positive cases were commissioned officers, she said, explaining that the White House would have continued to release that information.
Six Texas lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19 since Friday night. The lawmakers are part of a group that left Texas, flying from Austin to Washington to break the State House quorum and prevent Republicans from passing a restrictive new voting law. Group officials told CNN that all lawmakers who took part in the quorum break trip, fully vaccinated, have tested positive for COVID-19.
This story has been updated on Tuesday with additional developments.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
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