For the second time in less than a month, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive for Covid-19.
Becerra took an antigen test on Monday morning and the result was positive, according to a statement from HHS spokesperson Sarah Lovenheim.
“He is fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19, and is experiencing mild symptoms. He will continue to perform his duties as HHS Secretary, working in isolation,” she added.
Becerra, 64, had previously tested positive for Covid-19 during a trip to Berlin in mid-May.
Last week, he was in Los Angeles, California, for the Summit of the Americas, which was hosted by the United States and attended by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to the HHS, he is not a close contact of either Biden or Harris, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Becerra is the most recent member of President Joe Biden’s administration to test positive for Covid-19.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on June 6 that he had contracted the virus, while Interior Secretary Deb Haaland confirmed her positive result on June 1.
Earlier this year, CIA Director William Burns and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre both tested positive.
According to the CDC, Covid-19 cases are on the rise once more in the United States.
The country’s Covid caseload and death toll stood at 87,424,846 and 1,036,084, respectively, as of Tuesday.
The two figures are the highest in the world, making the United States the worst-affected country by the pandemic.
