WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive on Tuesday for the coronavirus, but is not experiencing any symptoms, her office said.
Harris “will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence,” Kirsten Allen, her spokesperson, said in a statement. “She has not been a close contact to the President or First Lady due to their respective recent travel schedules. She will follow CDC guidelines and the advice of her physicians. The Vice President will return to the White House when she tests negative.”
Harris was in California last week, and has not had any recent contact with President Joe Biden and most of the White House staff. She returned to Washington on Monday.
The vice president had avoided catching the virus for months, despite close contacts testing positive for it. Jamal Simmons, her communications adviser, announced a positive result earlier this month; Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, contracted the virus in March.
Harris, 57, has been vaccinated and boosted twice. The shots greatly diminish the chances of her becoming seriously ill.
Three out of every four U.S. children have been infected with the coronavirus and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers estimated in a report Tuesday.
As of February, 57.7% of Americans had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, health officials said, up from 33.5% in December, when the omicron wave began sweeping across the country. While the antibodies aren’t necessarily protective, they indicate a previous infection.
For Americans of all ages, about 34% had signs of prior infection in December. Just two months later, 58% did.
“I did expect it to increase. I did not expect it to increase quite this much,” said Dr. Kristie Clarke, co-leader of a CDC team that tracks the extent of coronavirus infections.
For those 65 and older, 19% had signs of prior infection in December and 33% did in February. That may be because older adults have higher vaccination rates and they may be more likely to take other COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks and avoiding crowds, Clarke said.
Clarke said the tests can detect antibodies for one to two years after infection, and possibly longer.
Studies have shown previous infection can protect some people against severe disease and hospitalization, but CDC officials stressed that the previously infected should still get COVID-19 vaccines.
“Having infection-induced antibodies does not necessarily mean you are protected against future infection,” said Clarke on a call with reporters. “CDC continues to encourage all Americans to stay up to date with their COVID vaccinations.”
