The White House announced on Sunday that Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff recently tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement, the office of the Second Gentleman noted that Emhoff tested positive on Saturday ‘after experiencing mild symptoms.’
‘He is fully vaccinated and three times boosted,’ the statement read. ‘He is currently asymptomatic, continuing to work remotely, and remaining away from others at home.’
The press release also noted that Vice President Kamala Harris recently tested negative for the virus.
‘Out of an abundance of caution, yesterday, the Vice President was tested for COVID-19,’ the release added. ‘She tested negative and remains asymptomatic.’
Emhoff and Harris were photographed standing near President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday during the White House’s Fourth of July celebration.
Fox News Digital asked the White House if Biden was tested for the illness, but did not receive an immediate response.
The second gentleman’s diagnosis comes nearly three-and-a-half years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Earlier in June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that coronavirus infections are ‘growing or likely growing’ in 44 states and territories.
Dr. Marc Siegel, physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, recently spoke to Fox News Digital about the uptick in recent cases.
‘There has been an upsurge in certain areas, including California — fueled by the so-called FLiRT variants, KP.3, KP.2 and KP.1,’ he explained. ‘It could spread to more states.’
Siegel explained that the new COVID1-10 variants are still ‘immunoevasive,’ meaning that they impact people with prior immunity.
‘[Like] all respiratory viruses, it spreads further in low humidity,’ he said. ‘Having said that, it has not shown itself to be seasonal, meaning that it can spread in warm weather easily as well.’
Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
