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WASHINGTON, Oct.9 (Xinhua) – Anthony Fauci, a leading US infectious disease expert, on Friday identified a White House ceremony unveiling President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court candidate as “an event spread “of COVID-19.
“I think the data speaks for itself,” Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS News Radio in an interview. “We had a high-profile event at the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and not wearing masks.
The White House held a meeting in the Rose Garden on Sept. 26, where Trump announced that he would nominate Conservative Appellate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon. More than 100 attendees sat together at the event, while only a small number of them wore masks.
Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on October 1 and was later admitted to the hospital before returning to the White House to continue receiving treatment.
In addition to the president, a growing list of people who also attended the White House ceremony, including first lady Melania Trump, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, reported a positive result.
Barrett reportedly contracted the virus earlier this year and has since recovered.
The Washington, DC, health department, as well as jurisdictions in neighboring Maryland and Virginia, are asking people who have worked at the White House in the past two weeks or attended the Barrett event to get tested and contact your local health department for guidance on whether to quarantine.
“Given our preliminary understanding that limited contact tracing has been conducted to date, there may be other staff members and residents at risk of exposure to COVID-positive individuals,” the health agencies said in a letter published Thursday.
Trump has completed therapy for the COVID-19 infection, according to White House physician Sean Conley, who also medically cleared the president for public events beginning Saturday. However, the White House has repeatedly refused to reveal when it last had a negative result.
According to media reports, Trump is expected to hold an event in person at the White House on Saturday. His reelection campaign announced Friday that he will attend a rally in Sanford, Florida, on Monday, October 12.
During the CBS News Radio interview, Fauci, also a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that he is confident that Trump’s doctors will not allow him to leave the White House without further evidence.
“I can guarantee that they will test it before letting it go out,” said the expert.
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