Fed Chair Powell Tests Positive For COVID; “Is Vaccinated & Boosted, Has Mild Symptoms”

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. 

The 69-year-old Powell received the positive test Wednesday and “is up to date with Covid-19 vaccines and boosters,” and is working remotely while isolating at home, the Fed said in a statement at the same time as Davos billionaires were being addressed by Pfizer CEO Bourla (himself probably a billionaire by now courtesy of covid).

The next meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee is set for Jan. 31-Feb. 1, and Powell is scheduled to deliver an in-person press conference at 2:30 p.m. in Washington after the meeting concludes.

Whereas stocks would have freaked out if this news hit three years ago, this time Bloomberg is quick to note that the Covid-19 landscape “is different than it was earlier in the pandemic: Most people have hybrid immunity from vaccinations or infections, and antivirals are widely available to older adults and those with compromised immune systems.”