The secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a department spokesperson. The HUD secretary “is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery,” the agency’s deputy chief of staff, Coalter Baker, said in a statement. After experiencing symptoms, Carson, 69, went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he was tested, reports say. The noted pediatric neurosurgeon is expected to fully recover. A memo sent to HUD staff said Carson was “resting at his house and is already beginning to feel better.” Anyone who came into contact with Carson will be notified, the memo said. Carson was one of several people who attended an election night party at the White House on Tuesday, where few attendees wore masks or practiced social distancing, several news organizations have reported. Also, the White House recently announced that chief of staff Mark Meadows and other staffers had tested positive for the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. Meadows’ diagnosis was announced November 6. A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.President-elect Joe Biden has called on Americans to wear a mask. He said at a news conference Monday that wearing a mask is “not a political statement.” Carson joined the Trump administration in 2017. Carson ran unsuccessfully as a Republican presidential candidate in 2016.
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