FDA head in self-quarantine, has tested negative for virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary has the coronavirus, the White House said, making her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week. A member of the White House coronavirus task force has placed himself in self-quarantine for the next two weeks after coming in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump, who publicly identified the affected Pence aide, said he was “not worried” about the virus spreading in the White House. Nonetheless, officials said they were stepping up safety protocols for the complex.

Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller, who tested positive Friday, had been in recent contact with Pence but not with the president. She is married to Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser. The White House had no immediate comment on whether Stephen Miller had been tested or if he was still working in the White House.

Katie Miller had tested negative Thursday, a day before her positive result.

The Food and Drug Administration is not disclosing the identity of the person who had tested positive and with whom the agency's commissioner, Stephen Hahn, had come in contact.

FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Caccomo said Hahn tested negative for the virus after he learned of the contact. He wrote a note to staff on Friday to alert them. Now in self-quarantine, Hahn was scheduled to testify before a Senate committee on Tuesday, along with infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The positive test for the senior Pence aide came one day after White House officials confirmed that a member of the military serving as one of Trump’s valets had tested positive for COVID-19.

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