Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson tested positive for COVID-19, ABC News first reported on Monday.
Why it matters: Carson is the latest in a string of White House officials to contract the virus — days after chief of staff Mark Meadows also tested positive. Like Meadows, Carson attended the White House’s largely mask-free election night party last week alongside a group of other top officials in President Trump's Cabinet.
- The White House has grown increasingly secretive about outbreaks — including its cluster of infections involving Meadows, which also includes a top Trump campaign official as well as undisclosed White House staff, per the AP.
- Meadows’ infection was kept under wraps and remained unknown to many staff until Bloomberg News reported it Friday.
What we're hearing: The 69-year-old Carson is "in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery," his deputy chief of staff told ABC News.