British health secretary tests positive for coronavirus

21:14, March 27, 2020

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  Pence's staffer tests positive for coronavirus

  WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) --A staff member of U.S. Vice President Mike Pences office has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Pences office announced Friday.File photo: AFPIt is the first known positive test to date for a White House staffer, according to local media reports."This evening we were notified that a member of the Office of the Vice President tested positive for the coronavirus," Katie Miller, Pences press secretary, said in a statement."Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual," said Miller. "Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines."U.S. President Donald Trump tested negative for the novel coronavirus last week, according to the White House.Pence had not been tested for the coronavirus this week, citing guidance from the White House doctor, said a report by The Hill.Also on Friday, Pence said the country is making efforts to secure more masks for health care workers as well as more ventilators for sick Americans who may need treatment."We continue at the Presidents direction to pursue every means to expand the supply of personal protective equipment," Pence told a White House daily press briefing.With coronavirus cases soaring, doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers across the United States are facing a dire shortage of masks, surgical gowns and eye gear to protect them from the virus.The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 18,563 as of 19:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (2300 GMT) Friday, with 227 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

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  1st fed inmate in US tests positive for coronavirus

  (Photo: AP)An inmate at a federal jail in New York City has tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first confirmed case in the federal prison system.The inmate, who is housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, complained of chest pains on Thursday, a few days after he arrived at the facility, the federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press. He was taken to a local hospital and was tested for COVID-19, officials said.The inmate was discharged from the hospital on Friday and returned to the jail, where he was immediately placed in isolation, the agency said. The Bureau of Prisons learned Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

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  Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus: report

  File photoDisgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, US media reported Sunday.Weinstein, 68, is in prison in northern New York state after being sentenced to 23 years in jail for rape and sexual assault.The fallen film producers diagnosis was first reported Sunday evening by local paper the Niagara Gazette.Weinsteins spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject.The New York state Department of Corrections did not respond when contacted by AFP for confirmation of the reports.Weinstein was transferred Wednesday to a prison near Buffalo, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of New York City.Prior to his transfer, he stayed at Rikers Island prison and a Manhattan hospital, where he was treated for chest pains.Crowded US prisons have the potential to become hotbeds for coronavirus infections. Last week, guards at Rikers and New Yorks Sing Sing prison tested positive for the virus, local media reported.As of Sunday, the virus has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 cases, according to a tracker managed by Johns Hopkins University.Weinstein was convicted in February of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, while being cleared of predatory sexual assault charges.He was convicted of raping ex-actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.