Former United States President Barack Obama said Sunday he had tested positive for COVID-19.
"I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise," Obama wrote on Twitter.
"Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative," he added.
Obama also said that it’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.
I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative.
It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 13, 2022
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month eased its guidance for wearing masks. U.S. government agencies have dropped mask requirements in federal buildings in the Washington area and other places with low or medium levels of COVID-19.
The CDC said last week that 93% of the U.S. population is in a location where COVID-19 levels are low enough that people do not need to wear masks.
Recently, 31 Republican senators asked the administration to end the mask and predeparture testing requirements. "It is time for the federal government to recognize this reality, follow the science, and reduce or eliminate these restrictions immediately," Senator Roger Wicker said.
The current CDC transit order, which has been in place since soon after Joe Biden took office in January 2021, has been previously extended three times and requires masks to be worn by all travelers on airplanes, ships, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and at transportation hubs such as airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations and seaports.
