White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien tests positive for coronavirus
- News of Robert O’Brien’s condition comes amid regional surges as the US struggles to control the outbreak
- Economic adviser Larry Kudlow says O’Brien might have caught Covid-19 from his daughter
O’Brien “has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site”, according to a White House statement. “There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice-president. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.”
Trump told reporters that he wasn’t sure when his national security adviser had tested positive and that he hadn’t “seen him lately”, but would be giving O’Brien a call.
O’Brien, 54, may have contracted the virus from his daughter, according to chief White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
“I spoke to him late last week,” Kudlow told reporters. “I don't have much to say. I wish him well and hope he's OK. Apparently it’s a light case. I believe his daughter caught it beforehand.”
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News of O’Brien’s condition broke as case numbers surged in many US states, with senior public health officials like Dr Deborah Birx calling for bars to be ordered closed and stricter mitigation measures in hotspots throughout the country.
