US President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mr Mark Meadows, has told associates he has coronavirus, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to the outbreaks connected to the White House.
It wasn't immediately clear when Mr Meadows learnt that he had contracted the virus or whether he had developed symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.
He informed a close circle of advisers after Tuesday's (Nov 3) election, one of the people said.
Mr Meadows didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. White House spokespeople didn't respond to numerous e-mails and phone messages requesting comment.
At least four other White House officials have been infected, including Ms Cassidy Hutchinson, one of Mr Meadows’s closest aides.
A senior Trump campaign aide, Mr Nick Trainer, is also infected, according to two people familiar with the matter. He and campaign spokespeople declined to comment.
Mr Meadows has remained involved in Mr Trump's post-election effort to challenge votes in several states where he trails previous VP Joe Biden, according to one person familiar with the matter.
The people familiar with the matter asked not to be identified because both cases had not been announced.
More than three dozen people associated with the president or the White House have been infected by the virus, including the president, his wife, Melania, and his youngest son, Barron.
VP Mike Pence's chief of staff, Mr Marc Short, and other aides tested positive for the virus late the previous month, shortly before the election.
Mr Meadows was at Mr Trump's bedside when the president was hospitalised the previous month with Covid-19.
Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic has been rated poorly by most Americans in public opinion surveys, and is seen as a major reason he's poised to lose re-election to Mr Biden.
About 126,000 people in the US were infected by the novel coronavirus on Friday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, a record.
About 9.7 million Americans have contracted the virus and at least 236,000 have died.