After downplaying threat of the virus, US President and First Lady test positive for COVID-19

US President Donald Trump said early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election.

Trump, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining. The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties “without disruption” while recovering.

Still, Trump’s diagnosis was sure to have a destabilizing effect in Washington, raising questions about how far the virus had spread through the highest levels of the U.S. government. Hours before Trump announced he had contracted the virus, the White House said a top aide who had traveled with him during the week had tested positive.

Trump is 74 years old, putting him at a higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people in the United States.

News of Trump´s infection with the most notorious disease has drawn instant reactions of shock, sympathy, undisguised glee, and outrage.

It has permeated the global news cycle, upended countless plans, and sparked comment everywhere from presidential offices to the thousands looking to weigh in on social media.