Washington

US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, an aide confirmed.

"Secretary Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus," Xinhua news agency quoted the aide as saying in a statement on Monday.

"He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery," the aide added.

Carson, 69, was reportedly tested at a military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

This development came just days after White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had also tested positive for the disease.

Carson and Meadows are the latest high-ranking White official to be infected with the virus in recent days after a number of senior officials of the administration, including President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were tested positive last month.

The other administration who had tested positive for Covid-19 last month were senior aides Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller; White House Press Secretary Kayley McEnany; RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel; Republican Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tilis; former adviser Kellyanne Conway; and Trump campaign director Bill Stepien.

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android