Hillary Clinton tests positive for Covid-19 with ‘mild cold symptoms’

Former president Bill Clinton is negative and quarantining, she says

Hillary Clinton announced she has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing “mild cold symptoms” but is “feeling fine”.

The former secretary of state said former president Bill Clinton tested negative.

Her husband is “quarantining until our household is fully in the clear”, she announced on Twitter. “Movie recommendations appreciated!”

The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee added that she is “more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness” and encouraged Americans to get vaccinated.

She is among several high-profile Democratic figures to test positive for Covid-19 within recent weeks.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also announced that she tested positive after taking a polymerase chain reaction test, or PCR test, on 22 March; President Joe Biden tested negative on a PCR test before a trip to Europe, according to the White House.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive on 15 March.

Former President Barack Obama announced that he tested positive on 13 March and had “a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise”.

Mr Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama “are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative”, he said.

While confirmed infections across the US have fallen sharply following a surge fuelled by the emergence of the Omicron variant, rising cases across parts of Europe and China have prompted public health officials to stress caution, as public health measures in most cities and states are relaxed.

The BA.2 subvariant, also known as “stealth Omicron”, accounts for nearly 35 per cent of confirmed infections in the US as of 21 March, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Roughly 65 per cent of Americans, or more than 217 million people, are considered fully vaccinated. Nearly 97 million people from that group have received at least one “booster” dose. Roughly 23 per cent of the US has not received any vaccine doses.