WASHINGTON — Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, a department spokesperson confirmed.
Mayorkas “tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols,” DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said in a prepared statement.
.@DHSgov Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 per a DHS spokesperson. He’s fully vaccinated and isolating. Statement: pic.twitter.com/T515jnbpDA
— Luke Barr (@LukeLBarr) October 19, 2021
Espinosa said that Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated, is experiencing only mild congestion, but he will isolate and work from home as he recovers, NBC News reported.
A New York Times analysis of data from 40 states showed in August that breakthrough infections and hospitalizations are exceedingly rare, occurring in as few as 0.1% of hospitalizations and 0.2% of deaths. The rate can vary widely however. The same data indicated that as many as 5% of hospitalizations and 6% of COVID-19-related deaths are due to breakthrough cases in immunized individuals.
Mayorkas had been scheduled to travel to Colombia along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CNN reported.
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