HHS secretary Becerra tests positive for COVID-19 again

(AP) - President Joe Biden’s top health official has again tested positive for COVID-19, less than a month after he came down with virus symptoms while on a trip to Germany.

U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra woke up with symptoms again Monday morning and tested positive afterward, spokeswoman Sarah Lovenheim said.

His symptoms are mild and he is isolating in Sacramento, California. Lovenheim said Becerra had been in California for a “personal commitment.”

A statement from HHS said the secretary was not believed to be a close contact of Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, who also tested positive earlier this spring.

Becerra is continuing to work from isolation.

Becerra had joined Biden at the Summit of the Americas last week in Los Angeles. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he had tested positive after attending the event, which gathered diginitaries, diplomats and business leaders from across the hemisphere.

Becerra is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot guarding against the virus.

In May, Becerra tested positive while in Berlin for a meeting of health ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy nations to discuss the ongoing pandemic. His office said then that he had mild symptoms and continued his work from isolation.