Pence continues campaign despite top aid test positive for COVID-19

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, a spokesperson said. The new case has added to the list of infected persons connected to Donald Trump's administration.

Marc Short began quarantine and assisted in the contract tracing process, Pence's spokesperson Devin O'Malley said in a statement. "Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence both tested negative for COVID-19 today and remain in good health," he added.

Pence, who has been campaigning ahead of the November 3 election, will not go in self-isolation and maintain his current schedule in consultation with White House doctors, said the spokesman.

A surge in COVID-19 cases led to the U.S reaching a record number of daily infections for a second day running on Saturday, with nearly 89,000 new cases. So far, the virus has claimed more than 224,000 American lives.

Several people connected to the White House have contracted the virus, including President Trump, who was hospitalized before recovering. However, Trump has downplayed the seriousness of the virus, calling for businesses to reopen so the economy can recover.

Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent in the upcoming polls, has repeatedly criticized Trump's handling of the health crisis.

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that it would be clear whether a COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective by early December but that more widespread vaccination would not be likely until later in 2021.

"We will know whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the end of November, the beginning of December," Fauci told the BBC.

"When you talk about vaccinating a substantial proportion of the population, so that you can have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak, that very likely will not be until the second or third quarter of the year."