Although Vice President Kamala Harris was infected with the coronavirus in April, it is not impossible that she could be infected again – a prospect raised by her presence with President Biden just two days before testing positive.
According to her schedule for that day, Ms. Harris received the president’s daily briefing in the Oval Office. She also met Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, with Mr. Biden and others at the White House.
The prospect of both Ms Harris, 57, and Mr Biden, 79, contracting the virus may not be worrisome, but both are fully vaccinated and have had two boosters, there is still a possibility of protection. high protection from serious illness. Ms Harris was boosted for a second time on April 1 and Mr Biden on March 30.
Ms Harris, who arrived in North Carolina on Thursday, said she spoke to Mr Biden by phone and that he was “in good spirits”.
According to a White House official, Miss Harris tested negative Thursday morning. On the advice of the White House medical team, she will still wear a mask, but her schedule will continue as planned.
She may not be clear. To determine the incubation period of the virus, many experts recommend a rapid test two to four days after potential exposureand take at least two quick tests about a day apart.
Mrs. Harris before tested positive for coronavirus on April 26. When she announced her positive test, Her office says she is not experiencing symptoms and will be isolated at home. At that time, Ms. Harris was fully vaccinated and had received two booster shots. She was prescribed antiretroviral treatment Paxlovid.
At the time she was infected, the vice president had not yet had intimate contact with Mr. Biden. She was in California for a few days and did not see the president in person for eight days.
A month earlier, Doug Emhoff, husband of Mrs. Harris, test positive for viruses. Ms Harris was later uninfected, but while she was in quarantine and continued to test negative, Mr. Emhoff’s positive test result forced her to cancel an appearance at an event with Mr. Biden. .
There is a possibility that the vice president could contract the virus again. The antibodies that help protect against infection wear off over time, and Omicron is better at dodging those antibodies than the earlier variants.
Even a previous Omicron infection may not protect against a subsequent infection. Although it is not clear which version of the virus Ms. Harris contracted in April, at the time, BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is the dominant version in the United States.
Now, BA.5 sub-variable, which is spreading even faster than previous versions, is causing a flurry of new cases, including a series of reinfections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last week that BA.5 accounted for almost 80 percent of new infections all over the US
“You could have been infected before – even as recently as a few months – and have a very high rate of reinfection,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator. an interview last week.
A recent study from Qatar, not yet reviewed by outside experts, suggests that BA.4 and BA.5 better at evading antibodies from previous coronavirus infections than previous Omicron versions.
However, people infected with a previous version of Omicron should be better protected than people infected with other variants of the virus. According to the Qatar study, infection with a pre-Omicron variant was 28% effective in preventing subsequent infection with BA.4 or BA.5. However, previous Omicron infections were 80% effective in preventing BA.4 or BA.5 infections.
