US Vice-President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, reported AFP quoting a spokesperson for Pence said. 

Short has begun his quarantine and has been helping in the contact tracing procedure, Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley said in a statement.

Malley said, “Vice President Pence and Mrs Pence both tested negative for COVID-19 today, and remain in good health.” 

Pence, who has been on the campaign trail for the upcoming elections, will maintain his current schedule and will work in consultation of White House doctors, the spokesperson added.

The Vice-President addressed a rally in Florida on Saturday and urged Americans to vote in large numbers for Donald Trump.

Addressing the gathering the Vice President stated that President Trump had ended the era of economic surrender to China and instigated that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was “a cheerleader for communist China.”

At the Tallahassee rally for Trump, the Vice-President stated, “ President Trump has spent the last three and a half years fighting for YOU and now it’s our turn to fight for him! Get out and VOTE Florida!”

The US has witnessed a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases with the country recording 88,973 new cases on Saturday.

While President Donald Trump has downplayed the seriousness of the novel virus, blaming China for its spread, he has also urged businesses to reopen so that the economy can make a swift recovery.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has launched a scathing attack on the Trump campaign over his handling of the coronavirus. 

The virus has wreaked havoc on the US, as the country has reported a total of 8,568,625 cases and have witnessed a record 224,751 deaths, making it the worst hit country in the world.