US Secretary of Defense has tested positive for COVID-19

US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin has announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19 after discovering mild symptoms of the disease It said it will resume its activity online while it conducts a five-day quarantine.

“This morning a positive COVID-19 test result came in. I ordered the test today after showing symptoms at home. My symptoms are mild and I am following my doctor’s instructions.”Austin said on his official Twitter profile that he was enjoying his vacation.

moreover, She announced that her activity will not be paralyzed, as she plans to attend the meetings that are actually scheduled He announced that health workers had already begun tracing all his close contacts.

My last meeting with President (Biden) was on Tuesday, December 21, more than a week before my symptoms started. I said negative that morning. I haven’t been to the Pentagon since Thursday, meeting briefly with a few employees.‘, he explained.

Austin, with the full vaccination and booster shot, which he received in early October, said the vaccination “made the infection milder than it would have been” in the absence of the treatment regimen.

“Vaccines work and will continue to be a military medical requirement for our workforce. I continue to encourage everyone who is eligible to receive a booster dose to get it.”, has been confirmed.

US sees ‘close vertical increase’ in coronavirus cases With variable progress OmicronThe White House’s chief adviser on the pandemic said on Sunday that the peak of infections could be a few weeks away, Anthony Fauci.

“We are definitely in the midst of a very sharp increase in cases,” the US government’s chief epidemiologist said on the programme. this weekfrom the series ABC, and short it The increased infection rate is “truly unprecedented”.

With the Omicron variant sweeping the world, More than 440,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States on Friday, nearly 200,000 more than it was during the peak of last February.

But Fauci said the experience from South Africa, where the strain was first discovered in late November and peaked quickly and then declined about as fast, offers some hope.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, confirmed this Sunday that despite the increase in virus cases in the country, the goal is to keep schools open for students to attend in person, although he acknowledged that there may be some problems at the beginning of the year due to Increase in COVID-19 cases.

“We have been very clear: We expect schools to be open full time for students to come in person. We remember the impact of school closures last year”Cardona said in an interview on network television Fox.

However, Cardona acknowledged that there could be problems “especially this week” when students plan to return to classes after the Christmas holidays.

Specifically, he pointed out that the latest data indicate that Between 5% and 10% of school staff reported that they would not be able to go to schools because they were infected on Monday.

Cardona insisted on the effectiveness of vaccines available in the country for those over the age of 5, noting that where “vaccination rates” are high, there is less disruption “in schools.

In fact, many US school districts have delayed back-to-school days for all students and teachers to take pre-school testing.

(With information from Europa Press)

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