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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin tests positive for Covid-19
- Austin, who has mild symptoms, will quarantine at home for the next five days
- He last met President Biden on December 21
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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday with mild symptoms, but would retain all authorities as he quarantined at home for the next five days.
News of Austin’s infection comes as the Pentagon last week tightened restrictions at its headquarters over concern about the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has led to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases throughout the world.
The military is faced with the challenge of maintaining combat readiness for troops, often in close quarters on ships and planes.
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Austin, who is vaccinated and has received a booster, said in a statement he last met President Joe Biden on December 21, more than a week before he started experiencing symptoms.
“As my doctor made clear to me, my fully vaccinated status – and the booster I received in early October – have rendered the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been,” Austin added.
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Austin said he requested a test earlier on Sunday after having symptoms while at home on holiday. He was last at the Pentagon on Thursday.
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