Anthony Fauci tests positive for COVID-19

June 15 (UPI) -- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious diseases expert who has helped lead the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic, tested positive for the virus Wednesday.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tested positive on a rapid antigen test, the agency said.

"He is fully vaccinated and has been boosted twice. He is currently experiencing mild symptoms," the NIAID said in a statement.

Fauci plans to isolate and continue working from his home, the statement continued. He plans to return to work with the National Institutes of Health once he tests negative.

Fauci "has not recently been in close contact with President [Joe] Biden or other senior government officials."

Fauci was a member of former President Donald Trump's White House Coronavirus Task Force in the early days of the pandemic and then served on Biden's White House COVID-19 Response Team.

As the face for much of the government's response to the pandemic, he's received a mixed response from the public, achieving almost celebrity status from his supporters and backlash from those protesting government health mandates.