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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tests positive for COVID

Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated, is experiencing "only mild congestion," according to a Homeland Security spokesperson.

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning, according to department spokesperson Marsha Espinosa. 

Mayorkas was tested as part of "routine pre-travel protocols" and "is experiencing only mild congestion," Espinosa said in a statement. 

She added that contact tracing is underway and the Homeland Security Secretary will isolate and work at home in the meantime, as part of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. 

According to CNN, Mayorkas was scheduled to travel to Colombia, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

The U.S. has had more than 45 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 727,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University

Credit: AP
FILE - In this March 1, 2021, file photo, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

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