- Jen Psaki announced on Tuesday afternoon that she tested positive for COVID-19.
- President Joe Biden tested negative on Tuesday and is not considered a close contact, Psaki said.
- The press secretary also contracted COVID-19 last fall.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19.
Psaki said she had two socially distanced meetings with President Joe Biden on Monday and that Biden "is not considered a close contact." Biden, Psaki added, also tested negative on Tuesday.
"Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms," Psaki wrote in her statement.
Psaki said she won't join Biden on his trip to Europe where he will meet with NATO leaders as the west continues to rally together in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Psaki's positive test was confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction or PCR test, which is considered to be "the gold standard" for detecting the virus.
"I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test," she added.
Psaki previously tested positive on October 31. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person can test positive for up to three months after contracting the virus.
The White House has sought to signal that the US is entering a new moment in the pandemic. Last week, Biden named Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, as the next leader of the nation's pandemic response.