Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is the latest to reveal that she has been tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The official announced the news on Friday and marked the newest record of infection after a Rose Garden event held last Saturday.
The event is where United States President Donald Trump announced his nominee for the Supreme Court Justice vacancy.
Surge of coronavirus infections
According to CNN, Conway posted on Twitter that she was positive with the coronavirus. She noted her symptoms were mild and that she felt fine, only having a light cough. The former counselor revealed she was on the process of self-quarantine after consulting with physicians.
The former White House counselor is the fifth person who attended Trump's event last week, who announced positive results for the coronavirus afterward. In the event, people could rarely be seen wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines.
The other four individuals who have tested positive include President Trump, his wife, first lady Melania Trump, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, and President John Jenkins of the University of Notre Dame.
The majority of Trump's guests who attended his announcement of the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett were wearing face masks when they arrived. However, they quickly removed their facial coverings as the event continued.
Multiple health officials of Trump's administration, along with several other guests at the event, were observed not practicing safety guidelines at one of the highest-profile events at the White House after the Republican National Convention held in August.
Seats organized for the event also did not seem to have the recommended six feet separation from one another at the White House Rose Garden.
Confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett
On Friday, top Senate Democrats demanded Republicans to temporarily stop their plans of confirming Judge Barrett, arguing that the infections from the September 26 event at the Rose Garden could spread further and become even more dangerous, as reported by The New York Times.
Senator Chuck Schumer said that Senator Tillis' announcement of being positive with the coronavirus had urged him to proceed with self-isolation despite not having any symptoms. The official said he would be in quarantine for ten days to monitor his health and called on Republicans to suspend confirmation hearings to isolate the virus's spread.
Schumer noted they now had two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who have contracted the COVID-19 virus and expressed his fears that more would be revealed in the coming days.
A White House official said on Friday that 48-year-old Judge Barrett was tested negative for the coronavirus. Two other officials who had knowledge of her medical history noted she had already been infected with the COVID-19 virus earlier this year and has already recovered from it.
During the weekend, Judge Barrett was seen to be in close contact with President Trump at the White House. She is also known to have worked closely with several White House officials and came in contact with dozens of Republican senators on Capitol Hill.
Senator Lee, on the other hand, was seen on video to be hugging people during the event. On Saturday, the official announced he tested negative for the coronavirus at the White House.
