Doug Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive on Tuesday for Covid-19, the latest person with close ties to the White House to be infected with the virus.
“Earlier today, the second gentleman tested positive for Covid-19,” the vice president's deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement before a White House event for Equal Pay Day.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the vice president will not participate in tonight’s event,” she continued. “The vice president tested negative for Covid-19 today and will continue to test.”
Speaking at the event, President Joe Biden said Mr Emhoff “is feeling very well” and “is fine".
Ms Harris was seen at an event earlier on Tuesday with Mr Biden and several other congressional leaders during the signing of a $1.5 trillion government funding bill.
She also hosted her own Equal Pay Day event with members of the national women’s football team on Tuesday.
Mr Emhoff, Ms Harris and Mr Biden are all fully vaccinated and have received booster shots.
Mr Biden had another close call with Covid-19 in December 2021 when he came into close contact with a staffer who had tested positive for the virus.
The US has reported a seven-day average of 32,000 daily coronavirus cases, the lowest level since July 2021, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
There is, however, concern about a surge driven by an Omicron subvariant that is fuelling new cases in Europe and a CDC wastewater tracker is warning that cases may rise in parts of the US.
Former president Barack Obama shared at the weekend that he had tested for coronavirus.
Nine Democratic members of Congress have also tested positive for coronavirus this week, Politico reported, a little more than two weeks after the Capitol removed its mask mandate and days after a policy retreat.
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A 6-year-old receives a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Los Angeles. EPA -
Nurses prepare doses of Covid-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Los Angeles, California. EPA -
A product stall filled with free N95 respirator masks, provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services, sits outside the pharmacy at a Jackson, Mississippi, Kroger grocery store. AP -
A hospital sitter provides companionship, observation and surveillance to assigned patients at St Mary Medical Centre in Apple Valley, California. Reuters -
A 13-year old receives a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Los Angeles. EPA -
A sign advises patrons of a Covid-19 restriction while long icicles grow from an awning outside a restaurant in Denver, Colorado. AP -
A registered nurse works with a Covid-19 patient inside the infectious disease unit (IDU) at Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama. AP -
A person self-tests for Covid-19 at a free drive-through testing site in Whittier, California. AP -
Workers wear protective equipment at a Covid-19 testing site in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. AP -
Pupils leave a high school in Arlington County, one of several school districts which sued to stop the mask-optional order by Governor Glenn Youngkin, in Arlington, Virginia. Reuters -
Protesters rally against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. AP -
People wearing face masks walk past a business displaying a sign requiring face coverings in Washington. Reuters
