A White House aide who accompanied President Joe Biden to international summits in Europe last week tested positive for coronavirus infection before the President returned to the US, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News on Thursday.
The aide and some of Biden’s other traveling staff remained in Scotland after the President attended a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow because of concern about transmission, the sources said. The exact number of staff involved is unclear, as is their current condition.
The aide, who tested positive via a rapid test, is in quarantine and awaiting a follow-up PCR test, a White House official said. The aide is not believed to have had close contact with the President.
Thursday’s report comes days after White House press secretary Jen Psaki revealed that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
The press secretary opted not to travel with Biden and other staff members to Europe after a member of her household tested positive for the virus, she said in a statement. She last held a press briefing with reporters last Wednesday at the White House.
Officials do not think the aide’s illness is tied to Psaki’s, several people familiar with the matter said.
The people familiar with the matter spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House has not publicly disclosed the positive case in Europe or any measures taken to prevent further transmission.
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is vaccinated against COVID-19, tested positive for the virus several weeks ago and self-isolated at home.
In late September, US State Department spokesman Ned Price tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing symptoms.
Before testing positive, Price had been in close contact with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his meetings at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Blinken tested negative at the time.