U.S. top doctor Anthony Fauci tests positive for COVID-19

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of America‘s pandemic response through two White House administrations, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to a statement released Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Fauci, an 81-year old, was completely vaccinated and had received two booster shot. He was suffering mild COVID-19 symptoms.

Fauci has not been in contact with President Joe Biden, or other high ranking government officials recently. A rapid antigen test revealed that he had tested positive. He is following public health guidelines and his doctor’s advice, and will return to work at the NIH when he tests negative, according to the statement.

Fauci is Biden’s chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He was a key member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, which was headed by former President Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra had a positive test for the virus. Becerra was symptom-free for the second time in his life.