World

US CDC director tests positive for COVID-19, experiencing mild symptoms

CDC says Rochelle Walensky is up to date on vaccines and had not previously tested positive

Reuters
October 22, 2022
Dr Rochelle Walensky, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on the monkeypox outbreak, in Capitol Hill in Washington, US, September 14, 2022. — Reuters
Dr Rochelle Walensky, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on the monkeypox outbreak, in Capitol Hill in Washington, US, September 14, 2022. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night and is experiencing mild symptoms, the CDC said in a statement on Saturday.

A spokesperson said Walensky was not at the White House late this week and did not meet with any senior US officials before testing positive.

She attended the World Health Summit in Berlin on Monday and Tuesday, the spokesperson said, adding that she wore a mask at all times except when eating or publicly speaking. She returned to the United States on Wednesday.

The CDC said that the director is up to date on vaccines and had not previously tested positive. Walensky is isolating at home, where she will participate in planned meetings virtually.


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