White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the latest member of Donald Trump’s inner circle to contract the infection after a string of outbreaks in his administration, CNN reported on Saturday, quoting two officials. Two other Trump staffers have also tested positive.
The news of a possible resurge of infections in the White House came as the United States set daily records for new coronavirus cases. The country on Friday reported 1,32,797 new coronavirus cases and 1,223 deaths, reported The New York Times. This was the third consecutive day when more than 1,00,000 cases were recorded, taking the tally in the country to 98,30,800. The toll rose to 2,36,500.
Meadows tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, an unidentified official told Bloomberg, though it wasn’t clear whether he had developed symptoms of Covid-19. He reportedly informed a close circle of advisers that he has contracted the disease after Tuesday’s election.
The White House official had traveled with Trump in the run-up to Election Day and last appeared in public on Thursday without a mask as Trump falsely declared victory in the vote count, which is still underway, according to AP. He had been one of the close aides around Trump when the president came down with the virus more than a month ago.
The development came as White House officials face the increasing possibility of Trump losing the election to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump’s handling of the pandemic has been the defining matter of the campaign. Unidentified White House officials described a “frenzied atmosphere” as the result of the election laid suspended in fine balance. “As if things weren’t bad enough, now this,” one official said.
On Friday, 20 of the 50 states registered record increases in Covid-19 cases, the same as Thursday when the tally crossed 1,20,000-mark for the first time, according to Reuters.
Some cities and states have imposed curfews or put restrictions on gatherings to tackle the spread of the virus. However, no action has been taken at the federal level in the country. Seventeen states do not require masks.
The New York Times data showed that the states where fresh coronavirus cases were higher and continued to increase included North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Texas, Georgia among others. Deaths rose in Kansas, Indiana, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma and 24 other states.
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