Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the nation’s pandemic health response and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday and is currently experiencing mild symptoms.
Fauci, 81, is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots, according to a statement from the National Institutes of Health. He has not been in close contact with Biden or any other senior government officials recently, the agency said.
Fauci is currently isolating and working from home. He will return to the NIH when he tests negative, the statement said. In addition to his role as chief medical advisor, Fauci also serves as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Fauci has been the face of the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic since it started its spread across the country in 2020, advising former President Donald Trump before his current role in helping shape the U.S. response under Biden.
Wednesday marked the first time it was publicly announced Fauci tested positive for the virus after more than two years of regular testing. NIH said he tested positive Wednesday after a rapid antigen test.
At the end of April, Fauci said in a statement on PBS NewsHour that the United States was “out of the pandemic phase,” of COVID-19. Fauci also recently stated that he would leave his role if former President Donald Trump was reelected.