US Vice-Presidential debate 2020: Pence's press secretary excluded from Utah trip

Following the COVID-19 diagnosis of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, his wife Katie Miller who serves as the US Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary has been excluded from his trip to Salt Lake City for the upcoming debate with Kamala Harris. Even though Katie had contracted the disease in May, she was spotted travelling with pence and his entire staff during the trip out West that began earlier this week. She has been left out from accompanying the US Vice President to Utah but reportedly there is no indication of Katie being reinfected. 

However, as per US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person who has recovered from COVID-19 may have “low levels of virus in their bodies for up to 3 months after diagnosis”. This means that even though the person stops showing symptoms of the disease, he or she will continue to test positive within three months of initial infection. 

CDC has added, “Therefore, if a person who has recovered from COVID-19 has new symptoms of COVID-19, the person may need an evaluation for reinfection, especially if the person has had close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The person should isolate and contact a healthcare provider to be evaluated for other causes of their symptoms, and possibly retested."

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Stephen Miller tests COVID-19 positive

While US President Donald Trump is still recovering from COVID-19 along with several other officials at White House, senior adviser Stephen Miller, along with a top military official has also tested positive for the disease. On October 6, Miller, who has been self-isolating for the past five days, confirmed that he had contracted coronavirus. As Coast Guard official Admiral Charles Ray also tested positive, top US General Mark Milley, along with other military leaders, have also self-isolated out of an ‘abundance of caution’.

In a statement released by the White House, Miller said, “Over the last five days I have been working remotely and self-isolating, testing negative every day through yesterday. Today, I tested positive for Covid-19 and am in quarantine”. 

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Image: AP