US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he had tested positive for COVID 19 on Sunday with mild symptoms and would attend meetings virtually as he was quarantined at home for the next five days.
News of Austin's positive test comes after the Pentagon tightened restrictions at its headquarters last week over concerns about the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has resulted in a sharp increase in COVID 19 infections throughout the world.
The military is faced with the challenge of maintaining military readiness for troops, often in close quarters on ships and planes.
Austin, who was fully vaccinated and received a booster in early October, said he met President Joe Biden on December 21, more than a week before he began experiencing symptoms.
My fully vaccinated status and the booster I received in early October have made the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been, according to Austin.
Austin said earlier on Sunday he requested a test after having symptoms while he was at home on vacation. He was last at the Pentagon on Thursday.
Austin is one of the top members of President Joe Biden's administration to test positive for COVID - 19.
In October, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for the virus.
According to a Reuters tally, the US authorities have registered 346,869 new coronaviruses on Saturday. The US death toll from COVID 19 rose by at least 377 to 828,562, according to the US - 19 death toll.
Austin said he planned to attend virtually every meeting and he would retain all the authority in the Defense Department and oversee military activities around the world.
His deputy, Kathleen Hicks, would represent him in some matters, he added.
I encourage everyone who is eligible for a booster shot to get one. Austin said that this is a readiness issue.
Nearly 98% of active duty troops have received the COVID 19 vaccine, which is now mandatory for them.
A top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronaviruses, even as early data shows that the Omicron COVID 19 variant is less severe than other variants.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron variant is estimated to be 58.6% of the coronaviruses circulating in the United States as of Dec. 25. The CDC will soon be coming out with a clarification on whether people with COVID 19 should leave isolation, after confusion over guidance that would let people leave after five days without symptoms.