Lloyd Austin, US Defense Secretary, tests positive for Covid-19, exhibiting mild symptoms.

On Sunday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms, but would retain all authority during a five-day quarantine at home.

On Sunday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms, but would retain all authority during a five-day quarantine at home.

Austin stated in a statement that he requested the test earlier on Sunday after experiencing symptoms while on vacation at home.

He met President Joe Biden for the last time on Tuesday, Dec. 21, more than a week before he began experiencing symptoms.

Austin's positive test comes on the heels of the Pentagon tightening restrictions at its headquarters last week in response to concerns about the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which has resulted in a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections worldwide.

The military faces the difficult task of maintaining military readiness for troops who are frequently confined to close quarters on ships and planes.

Austin, who is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot in early October, stated in a statement that he last met President Joe Biden on Dec. 21, more than a week before exhibiting symptoms.

"As my doctor explained to me, my fully vaccinated status — and the booster I received in early October — have resulted in a much milder infection than would have occurred otherwise," Austin added.

Austin stated that he requested the test earlier on Sunday after experiencing symptoms while on vacation at home. He was last seen Thursday at the Pentagon.

Austin is one of the highest-ranking administration officials to test positive for COVID-19.

Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary, tested positive for the virus in October.

According to a Reuters tally, authorities in the United States registered at least 346,869 new coronavirus cases on Saturday. The death toll in the United States from COVID-19 increased by at least 377 to 828,562.

Austin stated that he intended to attend meetings virtually whenever possible and that he would retain complete authority over the Defense Department and military operations worldwide.

Kathleen Hicks, his deputy, would represent him in certain instances, he added.

"I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one. This remains a readiness issue," Austin said.

Approximately 98 percent of active-duty troops have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is now required.

Anthony Fauci, a leading infectious disease expert in the United States, warned on Sunday that there was still a risk of a hospitalization surge due to a high number of coronavirus cases, despite early evidence that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe than other variants.

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron variant accounted for 58.6 percent of coronavirus variants circulating in the United States as of Dec. 25. (CDC).

Fauci added that the CDC will soon issue guidance on whether people with COVID-19 should test negative before leaving isolation, following last week's confusion over guidance allowing people to leave after five days without symptoms.