Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

US Deaths Tops 75 Thousand, WH Officials Contract Coronavirus


Sat 09 May 2020 | 09:00 AM
Yassmine Elsayed

The US continues to be the world's hardest-hit country because of coronavirus, with the latest figures showing that it has reported more than 75 thousand fatalities.

Now the virus is approaching the close circle of President Donald Trump in the White House in the time when he is pushing so hard to reopen the country.

US Official Figures on Coronavirus

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 1,248,040 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 28,974 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 2,180 to 75,477.

About 3.90 million cases of the coronavirus have been recorded worldwide with nearly 1.27 million coming from the United States alone, according to a Reuters tally as of late Friday.

White House Officials Test Positive for Coronavirus

Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, the wife of one of President  Trump's senior advisers, has tested positive for the coronavirus, raising alarm about the virus' potential spread within the White House's innermost circle.

The diagnosis of Katie Miller, who is married to White House immigration adviser and speechwriter Stephen Miller, was revealed by Trump during a meeting on Friday, a day after news that Trump's personal valet had tested positive for the virus.

"Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of a sudden today she tested positive," Trump said, noting he himself had not been in contact with her but that she had spent time with the vice president. "I understand Mike has been tested...and he tested negative."

Earlier, and as the President and his deputy have resumed travels, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany sought to defend administration.

"We've taken every single precaution to protect the president," McEnany insisted to reporters at a White House briefing. She also noted regular cleanings and adherence to distancing guidelines of six feet between inpiduals that are not always followed at crowded White House events.

"We've done every single thing that Dr. (Deborah) Birx and Dr. (Anthony) Fauci have asked us to do," she added, referring to highly respected physicians on the White House coronavirus task force.

Reuters reported that Trump and Pence maintain busy public schedules. The vice president, who has led the coronavirus task force, flew to Iowa on Friday to meet with faith leaders about holding "responsible" gatherings and to discuss the food supply at Midwestern grocery chain Hy-Vee Inc's headquarters.

Further more, it was reported this morning that U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn is in self-quarantine for a couple of weeks after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, an FDA spokesman stated.

Hahn immediately took a diagnostic test and was tested negative himself for the novel coronavirus, FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said in an emailed statement.