Coronavirus rapid test
Coronavirus rapid testiStock

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, announced on Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in the past year.

“This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms,” Durbin tweeted.

“I will quarantine consistent with CDC guidelines and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely,” he added.

Durbin also tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022, just a week after President Joe Biden contracted the virus.

Several top US officials tested positive for the virus during the pandemic. In June of 2022, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield tested positive for the virus.

Earlier that week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tested positive for COVID-19. A National Security Council spokesperson said Sullivan is asymptomatic and he has not been in close contact with the President.

The previous month, US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra tested positive for COVID-19, but he too was not considered a close contact of President Biden.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks before that and was said to be experiencing only mild symptoms.

A week earlier, Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the virus. Several days later, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield also tested positive for the virus and said she was only experiencing mild symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded more than 150,000 cases and 1,700 deaths from the virus last week, noted The Hill. Just 16.4 percent of the population has gotten an updated booster jab, according to the latest data.