17 Oct 2026
Blinken tests positive for COVID after meeting with Armenian FM
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for COVID-19 via a PCR test on Wednesday afternoon, two days after a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, the Department of State reported.
“The Secretary is fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus and is experiencing only mild symptoms. He tested negative on Tuesday and again as recently as this morning. The Secretary has not seen President Biden in person for several days, and the President is not considered a close contact according to guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” it said.
Blinken hosted Mirzoyan in Washington, D.C., to launch the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue (USASD) on Monday. “During the Dialogue, the United States and Armenia reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties across the breadth of the bilateral relationship,” the State Department said.
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