Trump tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of US elections

US President Donald Trump  and his wif,  First Lady Melania, have tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19)  and are now in quarantine barely a month before the US presidential elections.

The president, aged 74 and therefore in a high-risk group, announced the news in a tweet. “We will get through this together,” he wrote.

It comes after one of his closest aides tested positive for coronavirus.

Trump has mostly spurned mask-wearing and has often been pictured not socially distanced with aides or others during official engagements.

Shortly after Trumo made the annuncemet, the White House  released a signed memorandum from the president’s physician, Sean Conle, saying the president and the first lady were “both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence”.

“Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments,” the statement said.

The announcement came after Hope Hicks, the 31-year-old adviser to the president, tested positive for Covid-19 after travelling with Trump to the first presidential debate on Tuesday and a campaign rally in Minnesota the following day.

Trump is not the first world leader to have tested positive. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro were infected. They both have since recovered, although Boris Johnson had to receive regular oxygen treatment to help his breathing during hospitalisation.