Australian official who met with Ivanka Trump and William Barr tests positive for coronavirus by Anthony Leonardi | March 13, 2020 10:09 AM
A top Australian official who met with Ivanka Trump and Attorney General William Barr last week has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Peter Dutton, the Australian minister for foreign affairs, interacted with the first daughter, attorney general, and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway at a gathering last week in Washington, D.C., of the Five Eyes spying alliance that also includes Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
The Australian Embassy in the United States shared a photograph of the officials standing together in close proximity.
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Dutton released a statement on Friday in which he described his situation.
"This morning I woke up with a temperature and sore throat. I immediately contacted the Queensland Department of Health and was subsequently tested for COVID-19. I was advised by Queensland this afternoon that the test had returned positive," Dutton said. "I feel fine and will provide an update in due course."
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COVID-19 cases have appeared in every continent except Antarctica. Nearly 135,000 people have tested positive for the virus around the world, killing at least 4,988 people, according to the New York Times. In the U.S., more than 1,600 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and at least 40 patients have died. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday.