The US Secretary of Defense has Covid-19, he reports in a press statement. Lloyd Austin says he requested a test Sunday morning (local time) because he developed mild symptoms over the weekend.
He will remain in quarantine for at least five days and will try to participate in remote meetings depending on how the disease progresses.
Austin last saw President Joe Biden on December 21, a week before Austin developed symptoms. The minister had tested negative that morning. Last Thursday, he was last at the Pentagon, the US Department of Defense, where he consulted with a number of employees. They all wore masks and kept their distance from each other.
Austin is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot in October. “As a result, the infection is a lot milder than it otherwise would have been. I am grateful for that. The vaccines work and remain a medical requirement for our military personnel.”