Pentagon Chief Tests Positive for COVID-19, Reports Mild Symptoms

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital Manama, on Nov. 20, 2021. Mazen Mahdi/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that, while on leave at home, he developed COVID-19 symptoms on Jan. 2 and has subsequently tested positive for the virus.

“My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions,” he said in a statement on Sunday.