US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tests positive for Covid

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for Covid-19, making her the most senior member of Congress so far to report an infection.

The leading Democrat is asymptomatic, her spokesman said on Thursday.

Mrs Pelosi, 82, was seen hugging former President Barack Obama during his visit to the White House on Tuesday and standing close to President Joe Biden.

According to the latest US guidelines, quarantine is not required after Covid-19 exposure for those vaccinated.

Both Mr Biden and Mr Obama have been vaccinated.

“The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided,” Mrs Pelosi’s spokesman Drew Hammill wrote on Twitter.

“The Speaker will quarantine consistent with CDC guidance, and encourages everyone to get vaccinated, boosted and test regularly”.

The news of Mrs Pelosi’s diagnosis comes as the US approaches 1 million Covid-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

After a steep spike in infections in December – fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant – Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have fallen precipitously since mid-January.

But breakthrough infections have hit a number of high-powered Washington residents in recent days, with vaccinated leaders including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Congressman Adam Schiff announcing they had tested positive.