According to a senior administration official, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin learned he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday evening while attending an event with top US officials, including President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Martin was attending the event with Biden and Pelosi.
Martin, commonly known as Ireland’s taoiseach, was in Washington for the 30th National Gala of the Ireland Funds at the National Building Museum when he tested positive for the drug, just days before scheduled St. Patrick’s Day festivities with US officials on Thursday.
The official, who requested anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss Martin’s health, talked to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Biden, who made a short appearance at the dinner, was not considered to be a close associate of Martin, according to White House spokesman Chris Meagher. The COVID-19 near-miss occurred a day after the virus was discovered in the blood of a second guy, Doug Emhoff.
It was not immediately obvious if Martin’s diagnosis will have an impact on the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations that were arranged at the White House.
