Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19
Oct 25, 2020
Washington DC [US], October 25 (ANI/Sputnik): US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short has tested positive for the coronavirus, shortly after it was reported that the vice president's political aide Marty Obst had tested positive.
Pence's spokesperson Devin O'Malley said on Saturday, as quoted by ABC News, that "in consultation with the White House Medical Unit, the Vice President will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines for essential personnel."
O'Malley said that both Pence and his wife Karen Pence tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, while Marc Short and Marty Obst tested positive, according to ABC News. Since Short is a "close contact," Pence is now required, under CDC guidelines, to wear a facemask around people and to be closely monitored for any coronavirus symptoms.
Marty Obst tested positive for the coronavirus last week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Saturday.
According to ABC, Obst is an outside adviser and not a government employee. He was last seen at a fundraiser event attended by both Pence and US President Donald Trump on October 15.
Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center on October 2, not long after announcing on Twitter that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus.
That same week, Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for the coronavirus, according to Pence's spokesman Devin O'Malley.
White House Physician, Dr. Sean Conley, announced on October 12 that Trump had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days.
First Lady Melania Trump announced last week that the First Family's son Barron, 14, had contracted COVID-19 but exhibited no symptoms and subsequently tested negative. (ANI/Sputnik)
