US Sec. of homeland security tests positive for COVID-19 after full vaccination

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has tested positive for COVID-19 despite having been fully vaccinated, his spokesperson said Tuesday.

"Secretary Mayorkas tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols. Secretary Mayorkas is experiencing only mild congestion; he is fully vaccinated and will isolate and work at home per (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) protocols and medical advice. Contact tracing is underway," Marsha Espinosa, the secretary's spokesperson, said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Mayorkas' positive test came as he was scheduled to travel to Colombia with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CNN reported, adding Mayorkas is now working from home.

Blinken had previously been scheduled to travel to Quito of Ecuador and Bogota of Colombia this week to discuss a range of issues with the respective presidents of the two countries, according to a press release from the State Department.

There have recently been several lawmakers and Joe Biden administration officials who have got what are referred to as breakthrough COVID-19 cases - positive tests for the virus that came after full vaccination. They include Democratic House representatives Joseph Morelle and Darren Soto, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, as well as Ned Price, spokesman for the State Department.