Trump’s White House chief of staff diagnosed with Covid-19

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows has coronavirus, two senior officials confirmed Friday night, adding to the outbreaks connected to the White House as the nation sets daily records for confirmed cases for the pandemic.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had developed symptoms of Covid-19, and officials offered no details on when the chief of staff came down with the virus or his current condition. 

Meadows told people after the election that he had coronavirus, but it wasn't known when he first tested positive. He had traveled with Trump on Sunday and Monday.

He was also at the White House election party on Tuesday and came into close contact with members of the President's family.

White House officials are now alarmed, given Meadows has been around other staffers while potentially contagious, an aide said.

It marked the latest case of the virus in the West Wing, coming not even two weeks after Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, and other aides tests positive for the virus.

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and at least two dozen others tested positive for the virus in early October, after Trump held large gatherings of people not wearing face-masks, including the ceremony announcing the nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

Trump has repeatedly said that the nation is “rounding the turn” on the pandemic, which was top of mind for voters in Tuesday's election.

Covid-19 cases in the U.S. have increased more than 50% in the past two weeks, according to an AP analysis of data from John Hopkins University. The virus has also killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year

Bloomberg was the first to report about Meadows' positive virus test.