What We Know About Nancy Pelosi's COVID-19 Diagnosis
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, according to her Deputy Chief of Staff, Drew Hammill. On April 7, Hammill sent out a Tweet that stated that Pelosi is currently "asymptomatic," despite "testing negative" earlier in the week. According to Pelosi's staff member, she's now following CDC quarantine guidelines. Pelosi also didn't miss the opportunity to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted like herself, as Hammill's post added she was "thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided" amid her positive diagnosis.
Pelosi gets tested for COVID-19 regularly, as White House officials have to show a negative test usually 24 hours before a major event, per CNN. However, the speaker has been around her fair share of cases throughout the pandemic; for example, her senior aide tested positive for the virus in July 2021. And more recently, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin came out with a positive case after sitting next to Pelosi at a dinner in Washington D.C. in March.
Now some are showing concern over President of the United States Joe Biden, as he was seen in close proximity to the speaker just one day before she tested positive, reports The New York Times.
President Biden wasn't considered a close contact with Pelosi
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to cancel her weekly press conference with reporters after she tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7, reports Yahoo! News. The house speaker was the eighth member of Congress to test positive that week amid a wave of cases going around Washington. The multitude of positive cases among officials, which include Vice President Kamala Harris's communications director, Jamal Simmons, started after Washington leaders attended a Gridiron Club dinner on April 2. Fortunately, President Joe Biden and Pelosi were not in attendance that night.
Pelosi was among the lawmakers who appeared maskless and in close proximity to Biden at a ceremony at the White House on April 6, despite testing negative beforehand, per The New York Times. However, the White House has clarified the president tested negative despite being in the nearby vicinity of Pelosi and was not considered a close contact. An official statement said the two only had "brief interactions over the course of the last two days," according to ABC News. The statement added, "The president wishes Speaker Pelosi a speedy recovery."