Apr 9, 2022 - Politics & Policy
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack tests positive for COVID-19
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks on rising food prices at a press briefing at the White House on Sept. 8, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19.
Driving the news: "I’m both vaccinated and boosted and thankfully my symptoms are mild. If you have yet to get vaccinated and boosted, please don’t wait," he wrote in a tweet.
The big picture: Vilsack is the latest White House official to test positive for COVID-19 this week.
- More than a dozen guests who attended the Gridiron Club dinner, a high-profile D.C. media event, last Saturday have tested positive in rapid succession. Vilsack reportedly attended the event, the Washington Post reports.
- Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, days after they attended the dinner.
- Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) also tested positive after attending the dinner on Saturday.
Go deeper: Mini-COVID wave hits D.C. elite