The series of positive cases has drawn attention in Washington to the Gridiron dinner, an event that brings together some of the city’s most prominent journalists, including CNN, and the government officials they cover. Participants had their vaccination status checked, but did not need to enter negative Covid-19 tests. Tom DeFrank, president of the Gridiron Club, said 14 guests at Saturday dinner had tested positive and that more cases could be expected. “As of 4pm on Wednesday, we know of 14 guests at Saturday’s dinner who tested positive for Covid. There is no way we can be sure when they were first infected with Covid,” DeFrank said. “But they were interacting with other visitors during the night and we have to be realistic and wait for some more occasions,” he continued. “Except in cases of public officials who have revealed their situation on their own, we will protect the privacy of visitors who are positive.” Garland has no symptoms but was asked to be tested after learning he may have been exposed to the virus, the Just Department said. Earlier Wednesday, Garland attended a news conference with other officials, including FBI Director Christopher Ray and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, to announce sanctions against Russian oligarch Mao Zedong. “The vaccine prevented her from showing more significant symptoms,” the Commerce Department said in a statement on Wednesday. Sif said in a tweet on Tuesday that he was “feeling well” and Castro said in his own that he was “experiencing mild symptoms”.
Vice President close contact
Harris was in close contact with Simmons, who tested positive on Wednesday, spokeswoman Kirsten Allen said. “The Vice President will follow the CDC guidelines for those who have been in close contact with a positive person and will continue to consult her doctor. The Vice President plans to continue with her public program,” Allen said in a written statement. In addition to attending dinner over the weekend, Simmons was also photographed in the White House East Room during the Affordable Care Act with President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama. Inside the White House, according to federal public health guidelines, employees and visitors are not required to wear masks or social distance. Visitors are expected to take the Covid-19 exam before attending official White House events. Simmons’s case is not the first to reach the White House. Last month, second-in-command Doug Emhoff tested positive for the virus, marking the first known case of Covid-19 between the first or second family since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office in January 2021. Both White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and White House Deputy Secretary-General Karin Jean-Pierre have also been positive in recent weeks. Covid-19 cases in Washington, DC, have declined since their peak in early January, when the country was facing a wave of Omicron-type cases. However, Dr Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, said on Wednesday that he believed there would be an increase in Covid-19 cases in the US in the coming weeks and that there could be an increase in the autumn. “I think we have to wait … that in the next two weeks, we will see an increase in cases. And we hope that there is enough immunity in the background so that we do not end up with a lot of hospitalizations,” he said. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, when asked by Bloomberg TV’s David Westin about the prospect of another Covid-19 wave from BA.2 or another variant, given the level of immunity believed to exist in the US today. . This story has been updated with additional details on Wednesday. CNN’s Karl de Vries, MJ Lee, Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.
