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A fight is taking place in Washington to determine the extent to which the coronavirus infection has spread in the upper ranks of the American leadership after Donald Trump tested positive, in a week that included a presidential debate, political demonstrations and House meetings. Blanca with Congress.
The White House said its medical unit had begun tracking contacts Thursday. Among those who may have been exposed is Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, who stood a few feet from Trump during the 90-minute televised debate Tuesday night. Epidemiologists said that if Trump tested positive Thursday morning, he could have been contagious at the time.
The two candidates did not shake hands under Covid rules, and their lecterns were about 10 feet apart, but for most of the debate the president was speaking, sometimes at high volume, in Biden’s direction at one location. indoors in Cleveland.
Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at George Mason University, said it was “entirely possible” that Biden had been exposed, as Trump would have been infectious for 48 hours before testing positive.
Also on the list of potential exposures are Vice President Mike Pence, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump’s Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett, and Senate Republicans who visited this week to prepare. for confirmation from Barrett. hearings.
The list also includes Trump’s children and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with other senior White House officials who accompanied Trump from Washington to the Cleveland debate and vice versa. Few if any of them are reported to have worn masks on Air Force One.
The extent of the spread of Covid at the highest level of American politics will depend on when the president, Melania Trump, and Trump’s adviser, Hope Hicks, became infected.
Hicks tested positive Wednesday after feeling bad at a Trump rally in Minnesota. According to the New York Times, a small group of White House officials was aware of the result Wednesday night. Hicks flew out of Minnesota in a separate cabin from Air Force One and exited the rear of the plane.
Despite the White House knowing about Hicks’ condition, Trump traveled to New Jersey for a fundraising event Thursday, and his press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, held a briefing for journalists.
Since he had accompanied Trump on trips all week, Hicks should have been tested every day. However, if you had symptoms of the Covid infection on Wednesday, that raises questions about the tests. Symptoms usually don’t appear for several days after infection, so Hicks may have had false negative tests done earlier in the week. The White House uses the Abbott ID Now test, which has been found to produce a significant percentage of false negatives.
Pence attended a meeting at the White House on Monday, but did not travel with Trump to Cleveland for the debate. However, he has been very close to the Meadows ever since. Meadows, in turn, has been in close daily contact with Hicks and the president.
Pence and Meadows have accompanied Barrett to a series of meetings with Republican senators beginning Tuesday. A Tuesday morning picture it featured Pence, Meadows, Barrett and White House attorney Pat Cipollone meeting with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. In the photograph, none of them are wearing masks.
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