U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies during a hearing in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 9, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Pool via Xinhua)
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the COVID-19 pandemic "is not over" and warned against the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 -- now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.
WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- At least two senior U.S. officials and two congressmen have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a white-tie dinner over the past weekend.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Attorney General Merrick Garland tested positive for COVID-19 through antigen tests.
Garland, fully vaccinated and boosted, asked to be tested after learning that he may have been exposed to the virus. At the time, he is not experiencing symptoms.
The statement also said Garland will isolate at home for at least five days and will return to the office following a negative test for the coronavirus.
The positive test result came just hours after Garland spoke in person at a press conference alongside FBI Director Christopher Wray and other federal law enforcement officials.
Garland reportedly went to the Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner on Saturday night -- typically one of the most high-profile annual Washington media events.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who also attended the event, is quarantined at home after experiencing mild symptoms and testing positive for COVID-19.
File photo of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. (Photo credit: Secretary Gina Raimondo Facebook account)
Congressmen Adam Schiff and Joaquin Castro -- two other attendees -- made public their infections on Tuesday.
The Gridiron dinner is said to have hosted more than 600 government officials, members of Congress, diplomats, and media figures at the four-star Renaissance Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.
The annual event, which has been held in various forms for more than a century, was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has exceeded 80 million, with 980,000 related deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the COVID-19 pandemic "is not over" and warned against the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 -- now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.
"We know BA.2 is here," Psaki said. "We know that it is more transmissible."
She also reiterated that all White House employees who come in proximity to U.S. President Joe Biden are regularly tested.
Biden, who signed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 into law at the State Dining Room on Wednesday afternoon, was last tested for COVID-19 on Monday and he tested negative, according to the White House.
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (C) arrives at the Senate Chamber before the start of the Senate impeachment trial on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Jamal Simmons, communications director for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive on Wednesday, according to a statement.
"Jamal was in close contact to the Vice President as defined by CDC guidance," the statement read. "Jamal is isolating and working from home."
The CDC, which stands for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, defines close contact as someone who is less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from an infected individual for more than 15 minutes.
"The Vice President will follow CDC guidance for those that have been in close contact with a positive individual and will continue to consult with her physician," the statement continued. "The Vice President plans to continue with her public schedule."
Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, said on Wednesday that he expects the BA.2 subvariant to fuel an increase in COVID-19 cases across the United States.
"I would not be surprised if we see an uptick in cases," Fauci, also the longtime director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the White House medical adviser, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.
The best way to avoid it, he recommended, "is to get more people vaccinated," adding that "if you're vaccinated, make sure you get boosted when your time comes." ■
