Susan Rice becomes latest Biden official to test positive for COVID-19

White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice said Monday that she tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest person in President Biden’s orbit to do so.  

“This morning I tested positive for COVID-19,” Rice tweeted. “I’m feeling fine and grateful to be vaccinated and double boosted. I last saw the President in person on Wednesday—masked—and under CDC guidance he is not considered a close contact.” 

Rice is among a handful of Biden administration officials and members of the media who have tested positive since the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner at the end of April. It’s unclear when or where she contracted the virus.  

Rice was reportedly a guest of NBC News for the dinner along with several other administration officials.  

Most Biden administration officials, like Rice, are vaccinated and boosted and have reported experiencing mild or no systems when they test positive. Still, the recent cases underscore the enduring threat from the virus.  

Biden is tested regularly, and those who come into contact with him are also tested out of an abundance of caution.  

The White House also says that it distances officials in some meetings in order to prevent the virus from spreading.  

Biden and other officials have largely returned to normal activities, however. The president, who is considered at higher risk for the virus because of his age, attended part of the WHCA dinner and has hosted large gathering of people at the White House in recent weeks.  

Vice President Harris became the highest-level administration official to contract the virus last month. She had been traveling in California and was not deemed a close contact of the president under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Harris is vaccinated and boosted and reported no symptoms.