White House Press Secretary Becomes Highest Ranking Official to Test Positive for COVID-19

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced she tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after the White House announced she would not be traveling with President Joe Biden to the G-20 summit in Rome due to a family emergency. Psaki is the highest-ranking member of the Biden Administration to publicly announce they tested positive. Psaki said she is fully vaccinated and has experienced only mild symptoms.

In a statement on Sunday, Psaki said members of her family tested positive for COVID-19, which was the reason she would not travel to Europe. She tested negative for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday but tested positive on Sunday. She has not had close contact with Biden or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday, Psaki wrote, but she came forward "out of an abundance of transparency." Psaki has not seen Biden since Tuesday when they sat outside, wearing masks and staying over six feet apart.

"Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms which have enabled me to continue working from home," Psaki wrote. "I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution."

Deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will accompany Biden in Psaki's place, reports CBS News. The G-20 summit ended in Rome on Sunday, but Biden is stopping in Glasgow next to attend a United Nations-sponsored summit on climate change. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both been vaccinated and received booster shots.

The Biden White House has required masks indoors since the president took office, except for a short time during the spring, reports NPR. People who come in contact with the president are regularly tested. During President Donald Trump's administration, the president, first lady, and several White House aides tested positive, including Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Psaki, 42, served as White House Deputy Press Secretary, Deputy Communications Director, Communications Director, and Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State under President Barack Obama. She worked as a CNN political commentator until November 2020, when she joined Biden's transition team. Before the inauguration, Biden picked Psaki as his first Press Secretary.