Britain's new Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been in the job since late June [File: Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

London, July 18 (RHC)-- British health minister Sajid Javid has said he tested positive for COVID-19, but that his symptoms were mild and he had had two doses of vaccine against the disease.  Javid, who has been health secretary for three weeks, has backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to fully reopen England’s economy and scrap legal coronavirus restrictions beginning on Monday.

“I was feeling a bit groggy last night, so I took a lateral flow test this morning and it’s come out positive,” he said in a video message on Twitter on Saturday.  “So I’m now self-isolating at home with my family until I get the result of a PCR test. I’m grateful that I’ve had two jabs of the vaccine. And so far, my symptoms are very mild.”

Javid tweeted on March 17 that he had received the first shot of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, posting a picture of him getting a second dose on May 16th.  Under his government’s rules, Javid is now required to self-isolate for 10 days unless the PCR test comes back negative and he no longer has symptoms.

Any of his “close contacts” – potentially including others in the government – would have to self-isolate too if they receive instructions from the state-run National Health Service (NHS).