U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he and his wife Melania are entering a "quarantine process" after one of his closest aides was found to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
"The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!" he tweeted, confirming that Hope Hicks, a counselor to the president, has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
The development came as Trump, 74, is in the final stretch of the presidential election campaign, with voting day looming on Nov. 3. He has faced criticism for repeatedly downplaying the threat of the pandemic and holding in-person rallies at which people are not seen social-distancing.
National polls have showed that the incumbent is trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, 77.
During a phone interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Trump said that he will get the test results "either tonight or tomorrow morning."
According to The Washington Post, Hicks traveled with Trump several times this week aboard Air Force One. She accompanied Trump to Pennsylvania for a rally on Saturday, to Cleveland, Ohio, for the first presidential debate on Tuesday, and to Minnesota for another campaign rally.
Hicks was quarantined on the plane back from Minnesota on Wednesday night after showing mild symptoms. She tested positive Thursday morning, according to The Washington Post.
Hicks is the latest aide to Trump to test positive for the highly contagious virus. In July, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien was found to have been infected.
In the United States, there are more than 7.2 million confirmed cases, with the death toll surpassing 207,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Both figures are higher than any other country in the world.