US President Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, according to his physician on Saturday.
Trump agreed to the test after coming in contact with several members of a Brazilian presidential delegation visiting his Florida resort who have since tested positive for the virus.
“This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative,” the president’s physician Sean Conley said in a memo.
“One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation at Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free,” he said.
On Thursday, White House said in a statement that President Trump does not need testing for coronavirus despite having met with an aide to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who was found exposed to the virus later.
Earlier, Trump had dismissed concerns over his exposure to the disease which has killed at least 51 Americans and upended the rhythm of daily life across the country, with millions working from home and schools shuttered.
New York, the most populous US city, saw its first coronavirus death on Saturday, as store shelves were stripped bare after days of panic buying.
Trump on Friday announced a national state of emergency, freeing up $50 billion in federal funds for the battle against the coronavirus pandemic as he vowed to “vastly” ramp up testing capacity.
The declaration came as the number of coronavirus cases in the US hit 1,800 with 41 deaths.
He declared the emergency under a 1988 law for funneling aid to states and local administrations.
The global death toll is now over 4,900, with more than 134,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has declared the outbreak “a pandemic.”
More than 4,000 people have died and over 110,000 have been infected worldwide, with the majority in China, though daily infections are now growing at a much faster pace abroad.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has caused alarm as it has crossed global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.
(With inputs from agency)