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Secretary of State Blinken Tests Positive for COVID, Has Mild Symptoms

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 27, 2022, to review of the fiscal year 2023 budget request for the US Department of State.
Carolyn Kaster | AFP | Getty Images
  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for Covid-19, the State Department said.
  • Blinken, who is fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus, "is experiencing only mild symptoms," according to a statement by the State Department.
  • The top diplomat has not seen President Joe Biden in person for the past several days, and is not considered a close contact to Biden, the statement said.
  • Blinken attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington on Saturday night with hundreds of other people, including journalists, government officials and Biden.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon, the State Department said.

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Blinken, who is fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus, "is experiencing only mild symptoms," according to a statement by the State Department.

The top diplomat has not seen President Joe Biden in person for the past several days, and is not considered a close contact to Biden, the statement said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden tested negative for Covid on Tuesday.

Blinken and his wife Evan Ryan, along with Biden, attended the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington on Saturday night with 2,600 people, among them high-profile journalists, and government officials.

Ryan is the White House Cabinet Secretary, acting as the liaison between Biden and the U.S. departments and agencies whose leaders make up the president's Cabinet.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken "will quarantine at home, he will follow [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines.

"I know he very much looks forward to returning to the office, returning to his full schedule, and returning to the road just as soon as he is able to do so," Price said.

Before getting a positive result for Covid through a PCR test, Blinken had been scheduled to speak at the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington for a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees event.

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