Kamala Harris has 'close contact' with COVID-positive staffer as White House outbreak continues

The vice president's exposure is the most recent in an apparent White House COVID outbreak.
US Vice President Kamala Harris leaves her plane, as she arrives for the second leg of her Asia trip, at the airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on August, 24, 2021.
By Madeleine Hubbard

Vice President Kamala Harris spent Tuesday with a White House staffer who tested positive for COVID-19 the following day as the White House experiences a virus outbreak.

"On Wednesday morning, a staff member who staffed the Vice President throughout the day Tuesday received a positive test result for COVID-19," Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders wrote in a statement Wednesday.

The executive branch staffer is vaccinated and boosted against COVID and tested negative on Monday. 

The VP's exposure is the most recent in an apparent White House outbreak. 

"We expect there to be breakthrough cases across the country, right? And certainly in the federal government," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday in a press briefing. She emphasized that "99% or more at this point of the White House staff is vaccinated."

Several hours later, Psaki announced that President Joe Biden had been in "close contact" with another staffer who tested positive. Biden has since tested negative multiple times.

Harris tested negative for COVID Wednesday morning. She will be tested again on Friday and continue with her scheduled plans to spend the next week and a half in Los Angeles.