White House deputy press secretary has COVID, Biden not close contact

(Reuters) -White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who was on a trip with U.S. President Joe Biden to Europe, said on Sunday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 but is not considered to have been in close contact with him.

"I last saw the President during a socially distanced meeting yesterday, and the President is not considered a close contact as defined by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidance," she said in a statement from the White House.

It did not say when Biden's last negative test was conducted.

Last week, Press Secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jean-Pierre said she was vaccinated, only experiencing mild symptoms, and in line with White House protocols would return to work in-person after a five-day isolation period and a negative test.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles and Michael Martina in Washington; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry)