Kavanaugh signals support for curbing abortion rights as supreme court hears arguments on Mississippi case – live

Joe Biden smiled wryly earlier when asked by reporters whether he thought the former president, Donald Trump, put him at risk when Trump had received a positive coronavirus test just three days before the first presidential debate in the 2020 election campaign, according to a new book by former chief of staff Mark Meadows, which was reported exclusively by Guardian US this morning.

“I don’t think about the former president,” Biden said. That was his only word on the topic.

Top health official Anthony Fauci said a little later, at the White House briefing, that he had not been aware of that positive test for Trump at that time. Trump subsequently tested negative, according to the Meadows book, but shortly after revealed publicly that he had coronavirus, following which he was admitted to hospital.

Speaking generally, Fauci said: “If you test positive, you should quarantine yourself.”

Trump had not done that and had not only stood a few feet from Biden, in person and unmasked, for that first debate, but he continued to travel and hold events in close proximity to people.

Anthony Fauci is continuing to answer media questions at the White House. The top US public health official and chief medical adviser to Joe Biden, said that the molecular profile of the Omicron variant suggests it might be more transmissible than previous strains – and might have a higher risk of evading vaccine protection.

He emphasized, however, that it is still too early to say what will happen in the pandemic with the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Fauci urged those who have consistently adopted protection protocols, such as wearing a face mask in indoor settings with crowds, to continue to do so and said those who have stopped such practices should resume.

Fauci said: “Do the things we have been saying every single day, not just for ourselves but internationally.”

He said, however, that long term he believes there is “an end game” to the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is no doubt that this will end, I promise you that, this will end,” he said.

Fauci has now finished his section of the briefing and left the media room at the White House.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the national institute of allergies and infectious diseases and chief medical adviser to the US president, has taken the podium in the White House press briefing room.

He has confirmed what we all just found out – the first case of the omicron strain of coronavirus has been identified in the US.

“We knew it was just a matter of time,” Fauci said.

The case was confirmed moments ago by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal health agency, and was identified in California.

Fauci just said that the case was confirmed by the CDC and the California and the San Francisco health authorities.

“This is the first case of Covid-19 caused by the omicron variant detected in the US,” said Fauci.

He said the case involved an individual who returned to the US from South Africa on 22 November and tested positive for coronavirus on 29 November.

Fauci added that the individual was fully vaccinated but to his knowledge had not received a booster shot. He said the patient has experienced mild symptoms.“We feel good that this patient had only mild symptoms and seems to be improving,” he said.

He said the patient was isolating and those whom they had come into close contact with had been reached and tested and shown to be negative for coronavirus.

Fauci reiterated that as many people as possible should get vaccinated and, if they have been vaccinated, get boosted if eligible.

He told people not to wait to see if there will be a new vaccination designed to deal specifically with variants.

“Right now I would not be waiting. If you are eligible … get boosted now.”

It is not yet known for certain if the current vaccines combat omicron, Fauci said. Many experts are optimistic that they provide protection but confirmation of protection or the level of protection are awaited.