Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tested positive for COVID-19, and will be working from home.
Lightfoot announced her diagnosis in a brief statement posted to her Facebook and Twitter pages.
Earlier today, I tested positive for COVID-19. I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation.
— Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) January 11, 2022
Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III after positive COVID-19 test:
I tested positive this morning for COVID-19. I requested the test today after exhibiting symptoms while at home on leave.
My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions.
In keeping with those directions, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine myself at home for the next five days.
Stemming the spread of this virus, safeguarding our workforce and ensuring my own speedy and safe recovery remain my priorities. To the degree possible, I plan to attend virtually this coming week those key meetings and discussions required to inform my situational awareness and decision making. I will retain all authorities. Deputy Secretary Hicks will represent me as appropriate in other matters.
I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President. My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.
My last meeting with President Biden occurred on Tuesday, December 21st, more than a week before I began to experience symptoms. I tested negative that very morning. I have not been in the Pentagon since Thursday, where I met briefly - and only - with a few members of my staff. We were properly masked and socially distanced throughout.
As my doctor made clear to me, my fully vaccinated status — and the booster I received in early October — have rendered the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been. And I am grateful for that.
The vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our workforce. I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one. This remains a readiness issue.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result:
“After experiencing COVID-like symptoms, this morning I received a positive, breakthrough COVID-19 test result. Thankfully, my symptoms are relatively mild, and I am grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted. I am currently isolating and following all health protocols in order to mitigate further spread and keep my loved ones and community safe.
“Vaccines save lives. With this unprecedented pandemic continuing to rage, I am deeply grateful for the scientists, researchers, and frontline healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to develop vaccines that are safe and effective, and ensure that our communities are protected. I encourage everyone to do their part by getting vaccinated, boosted and masking up. I wish everyone a safe and happy new year and look forward to continuing to fight for the robust relief our communities in the Massachusetts 7th need and deserve.”
We are continuing to monitor the surge in COVID-19 cases locally and throughout the region. The significant increase in cases is, in part, due to the spread of the omicron variant, which is more easily transmissible than the delta variant. So far, it has resulted mainly in mild to moderate symptoms among vaccinated individuals. Our public health team continually monitors COVID-19 transmission data and the changing local and federal public health guidance. We have also consulted with academic institutions in the D.C. consortium of universities. Further, the CDC predicts a potential peak in COVID-19 cases in January.
As a result, we will delay the start of the Spring 2022 semester for undergraduate and graduate students until Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Face-to-face courses will begin on that date. University administrative operations will begin on January 3, 2022. Students in professional programs will receive specific guidance from their schools to accommodate accreditation and licensure requirements.
Vaccinations, mask usage and regular testing were integral to our successful operations during the Fall semester. We previously announced that all faculty, staff and students will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster by Monday, January 31, 2022, if you are already eligible for a booster, or within 30 days after becoming eligible.
Approved medical and religious exemptions will continue to be granted. Booster vaccines are available on campus on the first floor of the Howard University Hospital, Freedmen’s Hall, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with no appointment necessary. Students should continue to upload vaccine documentation in Med+Proctor, and employees should upload vaccine documentation in Workday. We will continue to require mask usage indoors and in group settings outdoors.
Breakthrough cases of COVID-19 will continue to occur. We know that individuals who have received a booster shot of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have significantly more antibodies in their system than individuals who have not yet received booster shots and even more than those who are unvaccinated. These increased antibody levels result in greater effectiveness of the vaccines, reducing severe illness or hospitalization. The bottom line is that you are more protected if you are vaccinated.
We are also requiring that everyone returning to campus from Winter Break for the Spring 2022 semester will be required to provide proof of a negative PCR test within four days prior to arrival.
Students in residential housing will return to campus beginning Friday, January 14, 2022 between 7:00am-9:00pm. While administrative operations will resume on January 3, 2022, meetings will be conducted virtually wherever possible, and units with approved telework authority may continue to implement that flexibility. Your cabinet officials will provide specific guidance to each unit.
A virtual town hall will be scheduled to discuss more details and answer any questions we receive prior to the start of classes. Updates will be communicated via email, and general updates will be shared on Howard’s Twitter page.
Our highest priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. These steps will help us maintain as safe an environment as possible in order to provide the best educational experience to our students. As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we are leveraging our collective knowledge and experience to adapt our community to the many changes in the virus and the pandemic.
We thank you for your patience and flexibility. We will continue to get through this most recent challenge together as a Bison family. Thank you.
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph.
Provost & Chief Academic Officer
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced via Twitter on Wednesday evening that he tested positive for COVID-19 in a breakthrough case of the virus.
Tonight, I received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. This is a breakthrough case, and I am asymptomatic.
— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) December 23, 2021
America is in a new phase of this pandemic. No one is immune.
I urge anyone who has not done so to protect themselves by getting vaccinated and boosted.https://t.co/qWzFOT5BC6
U.S. Senator Cory Booker said on Sunday they that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases.
Booker, 52, a New Jersey Democrat, said on Twitter he had learned Sunday of his positive test "after first feeling symptoms on Saturday." He added he had "relatively mild" symptoms and recently had received a vaccine booster. "I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse," he said.
Booker released the following statement via Twitter:
I learned today that I tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday. My symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster – I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse.
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) December 20, 2021
