CDC Director Rochelle Walensky tests positive for COVID-19, experiencing mild symptoms

Christine Fernando, USA TODAY
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Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has tested positive for COVID-19, the agency announced Saturday.

Walensky is up to date with her vaccinations and is experiencing mild symptoms, the CDC said in a statement. She is currently isolating at home and is expected to participate in meetings virtually.

CDC senior staff members and other close contacts have been informed, the agency said.

The news of Walensky's positive test comes as health officials urge Americans to get updated boosters ahead of an expected winter surge of COVID-19 as the CDC monitors new variants.

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Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on stopping the spread of Monkeypox, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2022.
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, testifies during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on stopping the spread of Monkeypox, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2022.

Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky tests positive for COVID-19