U.S. President Donald Trump‘s national security adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but there is no risk of exposure to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, the White House said in a statement.
“He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site. There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted,” according to the statement.
The White House has said staff is regularly tested for the virus, and O’Brien is the most senior official to be found positive amid the pandemic.
O’Brien has been isolating at home and working remotely after apparently contracting the virus at a family event, Bloomberg earlier reported citing unnamed sources.
Politico separately reported it was unclear how O’Brien was exposed to the virus or how much contact he had recently with Trump in person.
Representatives for the White House and the National Security Council could not be immediately reached for comment.
A U.S. military member who works at the White House as a valet tested positive for coronavirus in May as did Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Alexandra Alper; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Lisa Lambert and Chris Reese)
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