DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tests positive for Covid

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to a DHS spokesperson, who said he was fully vaccinated.

“Secretary Mayorkas tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols,” spokesperson Marsha Espinosa said in a tweet. “Secretary Mayorkas is experiencing only mild congestion; he is fully vaccinated and will isolate and work at home per CDC protocols and medical advice. Contact tracing is underway.”

He is the first Cabinet secretary in the Biden administration to test positive.

Neither Biden nor any principal officials have been found to be a close contact of Mayorkas, the White House said Tuesday. The most recent contact took place at an outdoor event outside of the 48-hour exposure window.

Breakthrough infections for fully vaccinated people are rare, and those cases have much lower rates of serious illness, hospitalization and death from Covid. People who are unvaccinated are 11.3 more times as likely to die from the disease than those who are vaccinated, according to CDC data from August.

Mayorkas was supposed to travel to Colombia with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, but will now be working from home, according to CNN.