Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence have both tested negative for the CCP virus, the White House announced on Saturday evening.
The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
“Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence,” Katie Miller, the press secretary for the vice president, said on Twitter.
Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence.
— Katie Miller (@VPPressSec) March 22, 2020
The Pences said they would be tested on Saturday afternoon because a member of his staff earlier tested positive for the virus.
The vice president, who heads the White House COVID-19 task force, told reporters that the staff member was last at the White House on Monday but didn’t come into direct contact with him or President Donald Trump. Pence added that the affected individual had “mild cold symptoms,” but “he’s doing well.”
Pence said that while there was a priority to give tests to people with symptoms, he would take one due to his strategic role as chief of the task force. He said that neither himself nor President Donald Trump had any direct contact with the staffer. Health authorities have traced the man’s contacts.
Pence and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have urged Americans not to get tested unless they are symptomatic in order to preserve the shortage in personal protective equipment for medical workers.
“If you don’t have symptoms, don’t do a test,” Pence said.
Brett Giroir, the four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who serves as the Assistant Secretary for Health under the Trump administration, said at the briefing that testing should be prioritized for front-line staff dealing with the outbreak, as well as for those with symptoms, particularly if they fall into certain categories.
“Clearly, everyone across the country should understand that those hospitalized or in an ICU are a priority for testing. Symptomatic health care workers—for obvious reasons we want to make sure that their health is preserved and that they are not going to spread to those that may be seriously ill,” Giroir said.
Epoch Times reporter Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
