China News Service, January 18. According to US media reports, a spokesman for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said on the 17th that Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tested positive for the new crown virus on the 16th.
The last time Mark Milley had contact with U.S. President Joe Biden before his diagnosis was on January 12.
File photo: Mark Milley.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Sha Hanting
"Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley is working remotely and has begun self-isolation after testing positive for the new coronavirus on the 16th," said Dave Butler, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a statement.
"He has very mild symptoms and can perform all tasks remotely. He has been vaccinated against Covid-19 including booster shots."
Butler also said that Milley's last contact with Biden was at the funeral of General Raymond Odierno, the Army commander for Biden's late son, Beau, on the 12th.
Butler said Milley "tested negative for COVID-19 in the days before and every day after his contact with the president until the 16th."
A spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps said on the 17th that the commander of the Marine Corps and another member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, David Berger, was also tested for the new crown virus.
Milley's diagnosis comes at a time when the Omikron variant is sweeping the nation.
Many members of Congress and White House officials have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks.