Media figures react to COVID positive cases after White House correspondents dinner outbreak

“I’m yet another [White House Correspondents Association] weekend casualty,” tweeted Julia Ioffe, a correspondent at Puck News. “I knew I was taking a risk and, well, here we are!”

Jada Yuan, who covered the dinner for The Washington Post, also tweeted she tested positive afterwards and would have to miss an international work trip she had been looking forward to. “Hindsight and all that, but wear a mask or leave or tell your employer you can’t go if you’re in a situation where you feel uncomfortable,” she tweeted. “Those consequences are usually better than the ones you’ll face if you get sick.”

“We worked hard to publicize our protocols and encouraged those eligible to get booster shots in the weeks leading up to the dinner,” Steve Portnoy, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, wrote in an email. “Our event implemented protocols that went beyond any guidance or regulation issued by the CDC or the DC health department. We wish anyone who may not be feeling well a speedy recovery.”

Concerning how serious the cases will be.. THE HILL writes,

Attendees at the White House Correspondents Dinner are generally privileged and well-connected people, who have much better access to treatments like Paxlovid, as well as paid time off and other benefits, than some Americans.