Vatican No. 2 and deputy both positive for COVID

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who serves as the Vatican's secretary of state and the pope's No. 2, has very light symptoms, while Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra is asymptomatic.

Vatican City: The Vatican secretary of state and his deputy have both tested positive for the coronavirus, Vatican officials said Tuesday.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who serves as the Vatican's secretary of state and the pope's No. 2, has very light symptoms, while Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra is asymptomatic, officials said.

There was no immediate comment on their last contact with Pope Francis. It wasn't clear if Francis has received a booster shot, which has been administered to his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

These are the first cases of COVID-19 confirmed so high up in the Vatican hierarchy since the pandemic began.

AP