Former US president Barack Obama has tested positive for COVID-19.
“I just tested positive for COVID,” Obama, 60, said on Twitter on Sunday.
“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,” he wrote.
Falling case rates in the US have triggered the relaxation of most public health measures imposed by cities, states and the federal government.
There were about 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when the average was closer to 800,000.
The US death toll from the two-year COVID-19 pandemic stood on Sunday at a little more than 967,000, from nearly 79.5 million cases, Johns Hopkins University said.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75.2 percent of US adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7 percent of those have received a booster dose.
The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking late last month, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans now live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.
The Obamas have homes in Washington, Massachusetts and Hawaii. Each state has more than 70 percent of the eligible population considered to be fully protected against the virus.
In August last year, Obama had to to drastically scale back a 60th birthday party he planned to host on Martha’s Vineyard, an exclusive Massachusetts island, amid criticism for planning a large social event at a time of surging cases.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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