Mar 22, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pence tests negative for coronavirus

Vice President Mike Pence briefs reports at the White House on March 21. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, a spokesperson said on Saturday.

Catch up quick: Pence said he elected to test for COVID-19 after a member his office tested positive on Friday. "Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual," Katie Miller, Pence's press secretary, said on Friday.

  • Both Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, returned negative results for the virus, Miller tweeted Saturday.
  • Trump indicated on Saturday that he does not plan to get tested for the virus again, in light of a member of Pence's office testing positive.
  • "I just took one ... I feel great," Trump told reporters on Saturday, referring to the test he took last week.

Go deeper: Pence tells White House staff to avoid physical contact

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Axios
Updated Jul 10, 2020 - Health

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The COVID Tracking Project; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

South Carolina restaurants and bars will have to close alcohol sales by 11 p.m., beginning Saturday, under an order issued Friday by Gov. Henry McMaster.

The big picture: The U.S. had another record single-day spike of 63,200 new coronavirus cases from Thursday. COVID-19 cases in South Carolina have increased, with 21,560 cases recorded in the last two weeks.

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Rebecca Falconer
Jun 29, 2020 - Health

Fauci: Coronavirus vaccine may not be enough to achieve herd immunity in U.S.

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Friday. Photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

NIAID director Anthony Fauci said during an interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival broadcast Sunday night he'd settle for a "70, 75% effective vaccine" against the novel coronavirus.

  • But such resistance, along with some Americans' opposition to vaccinations, means the U.S. is "unlikely" to achieve herd immunity, the White House coronavirus task force member said during his interview with CNN's Elizabeth Cohen.
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Caitlin Owens
Jun 29, 2020 - Health

U.S. coronavirus hotspots failed to build up public health tools

Data: Nephron and JHU; Table: Axios Visuals

Most of the states facing large coronavirus outbreaks today didn't build up their public health systems enough ahead of time.

Why it matters: States like Arizona, Florida and Texas had months to learn from the mistakes of New York and other early hotspots, yet find themselves now in similar situations.

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