Google Vice President Vinton Cerf Tests Positive for CCP Virus

Vint Cerf attends The 23rd Annual Webby Awards in New York City on May 13, 2019. Noam Galai/Getty Images for Webby Awards

A Google vice president and one of the creators of the modern internet tested positive for the disease caused by the CCP (Communist Chinese Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Vint Cerf, 76, told supporters on social media that he tested positive for COVID-19, the new disease that originated in China. Cerf said he’s “recovering.”

While working at the University of California-Los Angeles decades ago, Cerf helped create the internet in partnership with an agency now known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

According to the agency, Cerf is known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet.” because of his help designing TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the internet.

DARPA shared Cerf’s post and told him: “Get well soon.”

Cerf currently works as a vice president and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. He contributes to global policy development and the continued spread of the Internet, the company says on its website.

Cerf is married. He and his wife Sigrid have two sons.

Google vice president and co-inventor of the internet protocol Vint Cerf speaks to reporters on the sidelines of the annual Internet Governance Forum at the United Nations Offices in Geneva on Dec. 21, 2017. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Virus

The new virus has spread across the United States. It is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs,” it stated on its website.

Symptoms of the illness are similar to those of the flu and include fever, fatigue, and a dry cough. Other possible symptoms include aches and pains, a runny nose, and diarrhea.

Preventative measures include washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; regularly cleaning surfaces and objects; and avoiding sick people.