Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for COVID-19, the BBC reported. Buckingham Palace told the BBC that the queen is experiencing &qu...
Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for COVID-19, the BBC reported.
Buckingham Palace told the BBC that the queen is experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms" but expects to continue "light duties" during the coming week.
The palace's statement said, "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."
The queen, who is 95 years old, was recently in contact with her eldest son, Prince Charles, who also tested positive for COVID-19. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles are fully vaccinated. This is Charles's second bout of COVID-19 after contracting it in 2020.
Despite her elevated age, the queen will continue with "light duties" as she recovers during the week.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, took to Twitter to wish the queen a "swift recovery" and a "rapid return to vibrant good health."
The New York Times reported that it is unclear who passed the virus along to the queen.
The Times said, "The circumstances of the queen's infection remained clouded in questions. Charles was at Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, on Feb. 8 for an investiture ceremony," but did not conclude that the prince had passed the virus onto his mother as there has been an uptick in cases among those around the queen.The queen contracting COVID-19 comes as the English government is preparing to stop
requiring face masks to be worn in public places and COVID-19 passports will not be mandatory for large events, ABC News reported.
Johnson said, "We will trust the judgment of the British people and no longer criminalize anyone who chooses not to wear one."
These restrictions are reportedly being eased because government scientists believe that the omicron variant has peaked in the United Kingdom.
Government data indicates that more than 90% of British citizens over the age of 60 have received more than two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination. In most parts of the United Kingdom, infection rates are dropping.
In the spring of 2020, around the same time Prince Charles contracted COVID-19, Prime Minister Johnson was treated in an intensive care unit after falling ill to the virus.
Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Platinum Jubilee on Feb. 6. Having been on the throne for 70 years, Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
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