By Sophia Ankel
- 11 Secret Service agents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to new documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seen by Yahoo News.
- The documents also show that 23 employees have already recovered from the disease, with an additional 60 who are reportedly self-quarantining.
- It is not known whether the agents have been working at the White House or if they have had any recent contact with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.
- The report comes after it was confirmed that Ivanka Trump’s personal assistant and Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for the coronavirus.
- Trump has repeatedly said he is “not worried” about being infected by the virus but this week switched from getting tested weekly to a daily basis, amid concerns that it is spreading in the White House.
Eleven members of the US Secret Service have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Thursday evening, according to Yahoo News.
Documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seen by Yahoo News, revealed that the agency has 11 active coronavirus cases and an additional 60 employees who are reportedly self-quarantining. On top of this, another 23 members have already recovered from COVID-19, the diseases caused by the coronavirus.
It is not known whether the employees who tested positive for the coronavirus worked at the White House or if they had recent close contact with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.
Both Trump and Pence get tested for the disease regularly but have not tested positive so far. However, Trump said this week that he would switch from having weekly to daily tests following the new cases, according to The Hill.
Justin Whelan, a spokesperson for the Secret Service told Yahoo News that the agency is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“To protect the privacy of our employee’s health information and for operational security, the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, nor how many of its employees were, or currently are, quarantined,” Whelan added.
The news comes as President Donald Trump revealed on Friday that Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for the coronavirus. Miller, who is the wife of Stephen Miller — Trump’s senior adviser, and primary speechwriter — confirmed her diagnosis with NBC News, adding that she was asymptomatic.
Ivanka Trump’s personal assistant has also tested positive for the coronavirus, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported.
This follows a US Navy member who serves as one of Trump’s valets who tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to CNN.
The string of recent diagnoses in the White House raises concerns about the president’s possible exposure to the virus, which has since infected more than 1.3 million people in the US, according to Worldometer.
Trump has previously said that he’s “not worried” about getting infected and has notably been seen not wearing a face mask at recent meetings and public appearances, despite the advice on face coverings by the CDC.
