Anthony Fauci and Top Health Officials to Self-Quarantine After Aide Tests Positive But Not Mike Pence

Top health officials on the White House coronavirus task force will self-quarantine after an aide tested positive for the coronavirus but not Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the task force, CNN reports.

Last week, Pence press secretary Katie Miller, who is married to top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, tested positive for the virus on Friday.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would begin a “modified quarantine” after “low risk” contact with a White House staffer who tested positive.

Fauci said he would stay home and wear a mask but might come into the office when no one else is around.

He said he tested negative on Saturday.

FDA chief in quarantine:

Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, will self-quarantine for 14 days, a spokesman said.

"As Dr. Hahn wrote in a note to staff today, he recently came into contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. Per (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines, he is now in self-quarantine for the next two weeks. He immediately took a diagnostic test and tested negative for the virus," FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said.

CDC chief too:

Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will also self-isolate for two weeks.

"CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has been determined to have had a low risk exposure on May 6 to a person at the White House who has COVID-19. He is feeling fine, and has no symptoms. He will be teleworking for the next two weeks," a spokesperson said. "In the event Dr. Redfield must go to the White House to fulfill any responsibilities as part of White House Coronavirus Task Force work, he will follow the safety practices set out by the CDC for those who may have been exposed."

But not Pence:

Pence, who stayed home over the weekend, is expected to return to the White House on Monday.

Pence spokesperson Devin O'Malley told CNN the vice president "will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine."

"Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow," he added.

 

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