First case confirmed in White House
nWASHINGTON: A member of US vice-president Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for the coronavirus even as more American states issued stay-at-home orders on Friday as the country witnessed a surge in new infections and fatalities.
“This evening, we were notified that a member of the office of the vice-president tested positive for the coronavirus,” Pence’s spokesperson Katie Miller said in a statement, adding, “Neither President Trump nor vice-president Pence had close contact with the individual.”
Trump had himself tested last week for possible exposure after a member of a visiting delegation from Brazil that he had hosted for dinner tested positive. Later, Trump’s test turned up negative.
Pence, who heads the White
House task force on the coronavirus outbreak, has not been tested yet.
Two lawmakers of the US House of Representatives tested positive earlier in the week and many of their colleagues who had come into contact with them have gone into self-quarantine.
The American president’s handling of the outbreak has come under fresh scrutiny as The Washington Post reported that he ignored repeated warnings from
US intelligence agencies about growing threats to the country as the outbreak spread to countries outside China. The Post also claimed that Trump’s aides were unable to convince him of the severity of the situation until recently.
At least 239 people in the US have died and more than 17,000 have been infected so far amid worries over the health care system’s capacity to cope with the outbreak.
New York City, for instance, is in danger of running out of medical supplies in two weeks, according to officials. Illinois, Florida and Connecticut joined the states of California and New York on Friday with stay-at-home orders and similar measures, restricting movement of residents, non-essential businesses and workers.
With concerns over the outbreak growing across the US, Google has launched a website dedicated to information about Covid-19 a week after Trump touted the company’s help in the fight against the pandemic.
The internet giant said it worked with “relevant agencies and authorities” to roll out the site which went live on the web late on Friday offering education, prevention and local resources related to the novel coronavirus.
At the top of the site, there’s an information box describing symptoms, treatment and prevention tips from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Google also included links to state departments of health across the US, search trends related to Covid-19, and other resources for individuals, educators and businesses.
“Launching today in the US, the site will be available in more languages and countries in the coming days,” Google said in a statement.