US State Department spokesman Ned Price said he tested positive for COVID-19 early Monday and would stay away from the office for the next 10 days, according to standard protocol.
The announcement came after Mr Price had attended meetings in New York under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly.
State Department officials said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested negative for COVID-19. He has been in close contact with Mr Price.
“After experiencing symptoms for the first time this morning, I tested positive for COVID-19 after this, and I will now be quarantined for the next 10 days. I feel tired, but I am grateful for the protection against the serious disease provided by the safe and effective, “Mr Price said in a Twitter message.
“Secretary Blinken tested negative for COVID-19 this morning and is undergoing regular testing,” Deputy Spokeswoman Jalina Porter told a news conference Monday.
Asked if the State Department had notified all officials from various countries with whom Secretary Blinken met last week in New York, after Mr. Price had been in most of those meetings, Ms. Porter said Mr. Price “did not have been in contact with any foreign delegations since Thursday, “citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocol.
“In consultation with the State Department medical unit, we believe the risk of exposure would have started on Saturday,” Ms. Porter said, adding that Mr. Price “was not with the secretary at the time, not with any other The State Department or a foreign official.
The CDC says fully vaccinated people do not need to be quarantined after contact with someone who had COVID-19 if they have no symptoms.
Fully vaccinated people should be tested three to five days after exposure, even if they have no symptoms, and wear a mask indoors for 14 days after exposure or until the test result is negative.
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