CIA director tests positive for Covid-19

WASHINGTON – CIA director William Burns tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, a day after meeting with President Joe Biden, the intelligence agency said.

Burns wore an N-95 mask at his meeting with the president and practised social distancing, it added.

“Their interaction is not considered close contact as defined by CDC guidance, and Director Burns is sharing the news of his positive test out of an abundance of transparency,” the CIA said in a statement.

Burns, 65, was fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19 and tested positive in a routine PCR test.

He is experiencing mild symptoms and plans to work from home, returning to the office once he has isolated for five days and tested negative.

Biden, the oldest person to hold the US presidency at 79, got a second booster shot on Wednesday.

Despite strict precautions at the White House, several people who interact with Biden or been close to him have recently tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concerns for his health.

Biden got the extra booster a day after regulators authorised a fourth dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for people 50 and older, as authorities warn of a possible new wave driven by the BA.2 variant. – AFP, April 1, 2022