At least 67 people, including members of the Biden administration and journalists, tested positive for Covid-19 after attending the Gridiron Dinner in Washington last weekend.
On Sunday, Gridiron Club President Tom DeFrank said that the group had reported 72 cases out of the hundreds of people who attended.
An estimated 630 people attended the dinner at the downtown Renaissance Washington Hotel, according to DeFrank, it was the first Gridiron Dinner since 2019, before the pandemic, and guests were required to show proof of vaccination.
During the cocktail hour and dinner, the attendees reportedly mingled without masks and were entertained by lighthearted speeches and skits performed by journalists.
And in addition on Sunday, five more confirmed cases were announced.
Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi wrote on Twitter, “Latest update from Gridiron Club president Tom DeFrank, about covid outbreak from last weekend’s dinner (72 is +5 from yesterday’s reported number).”
Add Gridiron attendees who have tested positive: NYC mayor Eric Adams. https://t.co/FEAPG0uMrX
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) April 10, 2022
Latest update from Gridiron Club president Tom DeFrank, about covid outbreak from last weekend’s dinner (72 is +5 from yesterday’s reported number): pic.twitter.com/tU9J9R0pmw
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) April 10, 2022
New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was also at the dinner, tested positive.
His press secretary wrote on Twitter, “@NYCMayor is also going to immediately begin taking the anti-viral meds offered for free to NYC residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these meds to take them as well. While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely.”
This AM, @NYCMayor woke up with a raspy voice and, out of an abundance of caution, took a PCR test that has come back positive.
At this time, the mayor has no other symptoms, but he is already isolating and will be cancelling all public events for the week.
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 10, 2022
.@NYCMayor is also going to immediately begin taking the anti-viral meds offered for free to NYC residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these meds to take them as well.
While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely.
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) April 10, 2022
In a report by NBC News, another cabinet secretary was infected with COVID-19.
According to the network, “Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has been fully vaccinated and boosted, tested positive Friday and is experiencing mild symptoms, his office said in a statement Saturday, adding to a new wave of cases that has swept through the nation’s capital. Two other members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, tested positive last week after they attended the annual social gathering of high-profile political media and business figures.”
Anthony Fauci, the White House medical advisor, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky attended but have not reported testing positive.
On Sunday, with host, Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week” Fauci appeared.
Here’s the transcript of the exchange:
KARL: Well, let me ask you about the spike we’ve seen right here in Washington. You and I were both at the Gridiron Dinner. This is a dinner that had about 600 or so attendees. So far I believe we’re at 67 people that have tested positive who were at the dinner. I’m told at least so far no indication of anybody seriously ill. But, you know, about 10 percent of those infected. What is the lesson here? Should we not be holding events like this or to the point we just talked about, is it time to accept that we can have an event like this but there’s going to be a risk, some people will test positive, if everybody is vaccinated, you know, it won’t necessarily be that serious?
FAUCI: I think it gets back to what we were discussing just a moment ago, Jon. It’s going to be a person’s decision about the individual risk they’re going to take. I think the people who run functions, who run big dinners, who run functions like the White House Correspondents’ ball, or thinking back, the Gridiron Dinner, are going to have to make a determination looking at the CDC guidelines and seeing where the trends are. I mean, there are some places you go, not only is it required that you show proof of vaccination, but you have to have a negative test the day you go to a particular place.
KARL: Yes.
FAUCI: And I know a lot of social functions throughout Washington and in New York are doing the same thing, and it’s up to the individual to determine what their level of risk. We don’t want to pooh-pooh getting infected. I think people sometimes say, well, it’s okay to get infected. No, it’s not, because there are things like long COVID and there are sometimes people even though they don’t require hospitalization, Jon, they get significantly ill. They may be at home, they may require a doctor consultation, but they don’t get hospitalized. That’s not something to pooh-pooh.
KARL: Sure.
FAUCI: Again, each individual will have to take their own determination of risk.
Sources: Dailywire, Abcnews, Nbcnews
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