Politics

Meena Harris, Niece of VP Kamala Harris, Reveals She Has Breakthrough COVID

Meena Harris revealed on Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19, and urged people to "get the booster" amid rising cases across the U.S.

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Published on December 21, 2021 10:13 PM

Meena Harris has tested positive for COVID.

The Ambitious Girl author and Phenomenal CEO, 37, shared on Twitter on Tuesday that she has been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of the highly contagious virus.

"I have COVID," she began. "Based on what I know, after testing negative several times last week, either I infected my friend or she infected me. So far her symptoms are 10x worse than mine. I'm boosted. She's not. Get the booster, people."

Harris, who is the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, is one of the many public figures who have tested positive for the coronavirus amid the surge in cases sweeping the country ahead of the holidays.

Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, Rafael Nadal, and Hendrix Hehner, the son of Married at First Sight alums Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner, also recently tested positive for the virus.

Breakthrough cases — COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100 percent effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99 percent — are in unvaccinated people.

According to the New York Times, the United States has seen a 20 percent increase in positive COVID cases over the last 14 days, due in part to the highly contagious Omicron variant, as well as the Delta variant.

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On Tuesday, the White House announced that they planned to distribute 500 million free at-home COVID tests to any American that requests one amid the alarming rise of cases throughout the country; however, the tests won't be available until sometime in January, and it's unclear how many tests each household can request.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that they are "expecting a surge of COVID-19 cases in the coming days to weeks," and urged those who are eligible to get their booster shots and to get vaccinated if they have not yet done so.

"Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant. However, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur," the CDC wrote, adding, "The recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters."

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