House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tests positive for COVID after bill signing with Biden

Tim Balk

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for coronavirus, but did not immediately show any symptoms, her office said Thursday, one day after she joined President Biden at a White House bill signing.

Pelosi, an 82-year-old California Democrat, will isolate in accordance with federal health guidelines, said Drew Hammill, her deputy chief of staff.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 31, 2022.


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 31, 2022. (Mariam Zuhaib/)

“After testing negative this week, Speaker Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic,” Hammill said in a statement. “The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided.”

Hammill said Pelosi encourages Americans to test frequently, in addition to completing their vaccinations and receiving booster shots.

A planned Pelosi news conference on Thursday was canceled.

On Wednesday, Pelosi joined a group of lawmakers that included Senate Majority Chuck Schumer at the White House, where the president signed a Postal Service reform bill into law.

Pelosi stood between Schumer and Biden during the signing, and none of the three wore masks. A white mask dangled from the speaker’s left wrist.

President Joe Biden kisses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., during an Affordable Care Act event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.
President Joe Biden kisses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., during an Affordable Care Act event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.


President Joe Biden kisses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., during an Affordable Care Act event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (Carolyn Kaster/)

Biden, 79, has never been diagnosed with COVID, nor has Schumer, a 71-year-old New York Democrat. Both men have received two vaccine booster shots.

COVID case rates are near a nine-month low nationally, according to government figures, but a steady decrease in spread that followed the winter omicron surge may be ending.

In the past week, the national coronavirus case rate has gone up marginally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccinations and boosters provide rugged protection against severe COVID illness.

With Michael McAuliff

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