Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and family test positive for COVID
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and his entire family have tested positive for COVID-19.
The nation’s top doctor announced on Friday that he and his wife and two young children contracted the highly virulent virus.
Murthy, vaccinated and boosted, said he and his wife have only mild symptoms and no difficulty breathing.
“I’m experiencing muscle aches, chills, and sore throat,” Murthy wrote on Twitter.
Murthy’s 4-year-old daughter, who is too young to be vaccinated, was the first in his family to test positive a few days ago. She suffered a fever that is now abating.
Her older brother, five, later contracted the virus, followed by the surgeon general and his wife. He said that none of them are suffering more than mild symptoms and expect to recover soon.
Alice and I have mild symptoms. She has a headache and fatigue. I’m experiencing muscle aches, chills, and sore throat. Our breathing is fine, thankfully. It has been chaotic at home with all of us sick but I wouldn’t want to navigate this with anyone but Alice.
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 18, 2022
“We’ve tried to be safe, but it’s tough when your kids are sick. You want to comfort them when they’re unwell. That often requires being close physically,” he wrote. “We’d make that choice again, but I feel for those who struggle to balance protecting themselves with caring for family.”
The public health expert said becoming infected has been an eye-opening personal experience after more than a year, helping to lead the nation’s response to the deadly pandemic that has killed nearly 1 million Americans.
He said no one should be shamed for getting sick, especially if they’ve taken all precautions like getting the life-saving vaccines and booster shots.
“If you’ve done everything you can and gotten COVID-19 anyway, don’t beat yourself up,” he said. “A lot of us are doing the best we can.”
