Trump, White House staff to have daily Covid-19 tests

Decision comes after White House valet tests positive for virus

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he and all White House staff will now be tested daily for the novel coronavirus after a valet tested positive earlier this week.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he has "had very little contact with this person," noting that he has been tested twice since Wednesday and both tests were negative.

Trump says up to 100,000 Americans may die from coronavirus

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced earlier Thursday that the valet tested positive. Valets are members of an elite military unit and often work very close to the president and the first family.

Trump received his first test in March and a second in April, both of which were negative. But the latest news reveals he is at risk of being exposed to the virus, which has infected more than 1.2 million nationwide.

More than 75,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the US, which remains the country hardest-hit by the pandemic.