Coronavirus: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack tests positive

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Saturday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, the latest high-profile government official to contract the virus.

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Vilsack, 71, was one of dozens of attendees at the annual Gridiron Club dinner last week, according to The Hill.

“I tested positive for COVID. I’m both vaccinated and boosted and thankfully my symptoms are mild,” Vilsack tweeted. “If you have yet to get vaccinated and boosted, please don’t wait.”

Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa, is the third Cabinet member to test positive. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced they had COVID-19 earlier this week, CNN reported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she tested positive on Thursday. Garland, Raimondo and Pelosi announced their positive tests after attending the Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington last Saturday, according to CNN. President Joe Biden did not attend the dinner.

>> Nancy Pelosi tests positive for COVID-19

Several hours after Pelosi’s announcement, Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, and Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, announced they had tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Friday, 53 people reported to the Gridiron Club that they had tested positive for COVID-19, The Hill reported, citing Gridiron President Tom DeFrank.

>> Coronavirus: Senators Raphael Warnock, Susan Collins test positive for COVID-19

Dinner attendees had their vaccination status checked but were not required to show proof of a negative test in order to be admitted, CNN reported.

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