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Indiana health commissioner tests positive for COVID-19

Virus Outbreak Indiana
Posted at 12:22 PM, Jan 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-05 12:22:17-05

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s health commissioner has tested positive for COVID-19, the second time she has been infected, the state health department announced Wednesday.

Dr. Kristina Box was isolating at home after getting the results of a rapid test she took on Tuesday, the agency said. Box sought the test after experiencing symptoms including muscle aches, chills, coughing and a sore throat.

Box, who has been Gov. Eric Holcomb’s top adviser throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, previously had a mild coronavirus infection in October 2020 before vaccinations were available.

The health department said Box, who is fully vaccinated and received a booster dose in November, is among an estimated 113,000 Hoosiers to suffer a breakthrough COVID-19 infection over the past year. Box has also undergone a PCR test, which will be examined to determine whether she has been infected with the highly infectious omicron variant spreading throughout the country.