Secretary of State Blinken tests positive for COVID

Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday afternoon, according to a State Department statement. The secretary is fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID and is experiencing “only mild symptoms,” the statement said. Blinken is scheduled to deliver a long-awaited speech outlining the Biden administration’s policy toward China on Thursday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Blinken has not recently been a close contact for President Joe Biden.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.