U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, his spokesman said Friday, after the country's leader Donald Trump and the first lady were found to have been infected with the virus.

"This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19," Devin O'Malley tweeted, hours after Trump took to Twitter to confirm that he and first lady Melania were diagnosed with COVID-19.

O'Malley added that the vice president, who has been tested for COVID-19 "every day" as a routine for months, "remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery."

The Republican vice president, who is Trump's running mate in the presidential election next month, is scheduled to take part in a debate with his Democratic rival Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday.

The United States has the world's largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at more than 7.2 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.


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