Walensky Tests Positive

CDC director reports mild COVID-19 symptoms
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 22, 2022 2:20 PM CDT
Walensky Tests Positive
Dr. Rochelle Walensky testifies before a Senate committee in June in Washington.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky is dealing with mild symptoms, the agency said in a statement Saturday, USA Today reports. Walensky plans to attend CDC meetings virtually while isolating at home after testing positive on Friday night. She's up to date on vaccinations, which the agency says means the patient has had the primary series of coronavirus vaccine and the most recent booster recommended, per CBS News.

In June, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive, per NBC News. At the moment, the CDC is watching Omicron variants develop that could form the next wave of infections as it prepares for a surge of cases this winter. The variants "are evolving rapidly and emerging around the world, including ones that evade some of our treatments," an agency official said earlier this month, per Axios. (More Rochelle Walensky stories.)

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