Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced Friday that he and his young family have COVID-19 despite their best efforts to avoid infection by getting vaccinated and taking other precautions.
Writing on Twitter, America's doctor said, “When you’ve been as safe as you can, getting COVID-19 can be frustrating and disappointing. I’ve felt that. It can also be a source of shame. Many people assume you must have been careless to get sick. Our safety measures reduce risk but they can’t eliminate risk. Nothing can."
As new cases and hospitalizations plummet, and deaths have finally started to decline, the Murthy family’s bout with COVID calls attention to the lingering risks of a virus that many people have started assuming is finally on the way out.
Murthy, a regular participant at White House COVID task force briefings, said he and his wife, physician and political activist Dr. Alice Chen, have mild symptoms. Ahe has a headache and fatigue, and he said he was dealing with muscle aches, chills, and a sore throat.
“Our breathing is fine, thankfully," he wrote.
Murthy, his wife and their 5-year-old son are vaccinated and boosted. Their 4-year-old daughter is too young to be eligible for vaccination.
The kids are coping, Murthy wrote.
His daughter, “who tested positive first, is doing ok," he said. “Fevers are starting to improve. She’s still congested and is now hoarse from all the coughing, but thankfully she’s still smiling and enjoying her arts and crafts."
“Our son has a runny nose and low-grade fever but is otherwise eating, drinking, playing with his sister, and watching his favorite cartoons," Murthy added.
“It has been chaotic at home with all of us sick but I wouldn’t want to navigate this with anyone but Alice," he said.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
