US surgeon general Vivek Murthy and family test positive for Covid

WASHINGTON: As if to remind the world gently that it is still around -- even as countries across the world relax Covid-era norms and protocols -- the virus has struck

US Surgeon

General Vivek Murthy and his family.


In a series of tweets on Friday morning, Murthy disclosed that his four year old daughter possibly contacted

Covid

first before it spread to rest of the family.



"Fevers are starting to improve. She’s still congested and is now hoarse from all the coughing, but thankfully she’s still smiling and enjoying her arts and crafts," he wrote.

Explaining how it spread to rest of the family, Murthy said they tried to be safe "but it’s tough when your kids are sick. You want to comfort them when they're unwell. That often requires being close physically. We'd make that choice again, but I feel for those who struggle to balance protecting themselves with caring for family."

He said his wife

Alice

and he both have mild symptoms.

"She has a headache and fatigue. I’m experiencing muscle aches, chills, and sore throat. Our breathing is fine, thankfully. It has been chaotic at home with all of us sick but I wouldn’t want to navigate this with anyone but Alice," he wrote, adding that son has a runny nose and low grade fever but is otherwise eating, drinking, playing with his sister, and watching his favorite cartoons.

Taking a big picture perspective, Murthy said that when you’ve been as safe as you can, getting COVID-19 can be frustrating and disappointing. "I’ve felt that. It can also be a source of shame. Many people assume you must have been careless to get sick. Our safety measures reduce risk but they can’t eliminate risk. Nothing can," he wrote

"So if you’ve done everything you can and gotten COVID-19 anyway, don’t beat yourself up. A lot of us are doing the best we can. And let’s not assume those who get sick are careless. We don’t know people's circumstances. They may not be able to protect themselves the way we can," he advised.

Murthy also rooted for vaccines, saying it is a major source of peace of mind for the family. "we and our son are vaxed/ boosted. Vaccines are very effective at saving our lives and keeping us out of the hospital. As parents, I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to know we’ll be able to care for our kids even if we get infected," he wrote.