US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Austin Tests Positive For COVID-19

Lloyd Austin's symptoms were "mild" and he will quarantine at home for the next five days, the Pentagon chief said in a statement.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reported Sunday that he has contracted Covid-19, as the highly infectious Omicron variant sweeps across the United States.

Austin's symptoms were "mild" and he will quarantine at home for the next five days, the Pentagon chief said in a statement.

Austin said he is fully vaccinated and boosted, which had "rendered the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been."

"The vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our workforce," Austin said. "I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one."