What will a Press Secretary who tests positive for COVID despite being vaccinated and adhering to mask mandates mean for the left-wing narrative about the pandemic?
The answer to that question remains to be seen, but in the meantime, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
“On Wednesday, in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the President due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for COVID-19,” Psaki said in a statement.
“Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” she added. “However, today, I tested positive for COVID. While I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday — and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency.”
She went on, “I last saw the President on Tuesday when we sat outside more than six feet apart and wore masks. Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms, which has enabled me to continue working from home. I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution.”
Last Monday, a day before his last encounter with Psaki, President Biden coughed into his hand following a speech in New Jersey and proceeded to use it to shake hands with members of the public, all while not wearing a mask.
Psaki’s diagnosis also comes less than two weeks after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 just days following an event with the President. On Oct. 19, a fully-vaccinated Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 as part of routine pre-travel protocols.
Three days earlier, Mayorkas had attended the 40th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol alongside Biden, where they were photographed just feet apart without masks.
Later that day, Biden and first lady Jill Biden were caught violating Washington, D.C.’s indoor mask mandate by walking through a high-end Georgetown restaurant without masks.
Psaki brushed off a question about the incident in the restaurant, saying people should pay attention to the President’s policies and “not overly focus on moments in time.”