The spokeswoman for the White House, Jen Psaki (42), was infected with the corona virus despite a vaccination. She tested positive for the virus on Sunday, said Psaki in a written statement in the evening (local time). Psaki is currently not accompanying US President Joe Biden (78) on his trip to Europe and, according to his own statements, last met her boss last Tuesday – under special protective measures, as she emphasized.
Biden left for Europe on Thursday to attend the G20 summit in Rome, among other things. From this Monday he is expected at the world climate conference in Glasgow. Psaki had publicly canceled her trip with Biden just a few hours before his departure from Washington and initially vaguely cited a “family emergency” as the reason. In her message from Sunday, she said that the background was that “a member of her household” had tested positive for the corona virus. She then went into quarantine and had herself tested on Wednesday and Thursday as well as on Friday and Saturday. All of these tests would have given a negative result. The test on Sunday was positive.
Psaki said she has not met any high-ranking White House officials since Wednesday. The most recent meeting with the president on Tuesday took place outside – by far and with masks. Biden is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and had a booster vaccination in late September.
10 days quarantine
Psaki emphasized that she disclosed her test result in order to offer the greatest possible transparency. Given her vaccination against the coronavirus, she only feels mild symptoms and can continue to work from home. She plans to return to the White House only after a ten-day quarantine and a negative test result.
Infections with the coronavirus despite a vaccination are more common. There have also been several prominent cases of such “vaccination breakthroughs” in the US government or the US Congress in the past few weeks, for example in the case of Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas (61). According to experts, anyone who becomes infected despite being vaccinated should usually get mildly ill or not notice anything. In general, vaccination breakthroughs also occur with vaccinations against other diseases.
But there are also difficult courses: In mid-October, the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell died at the age of 84 as a result of complications after a corona infection. Powell was fully vaccinated against the corona virus, it said. According to media reports, he has had health problems for a long time. In the past year, before corona vaccines were available, then US President Donald Trump (75) was infected with the virus and had to be treated in hospital because of it. (SDA)