Biden's daughter tests positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's daughter Ashley Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said on Wednesday.

Therefore, Ashley Biden dropped out of a foreign trip with first lady Jill Biden to Latin America, spokesman Michael LaRose told reporters.

Ashley Biden was not considered a close contact to either Joe Biden or his wife, LaRose said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines close contact as someone who is less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from an infected individual for more than 15 minutes.

The infection is the latest to affect Joe Biden's inner circle.

A series of Biden administration officials have recently tested positive for COVID-19, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's sister, contracted the virus in April.

The United States has reported more than 83 million COVID-19 cases and 1 million deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

"We're also seeing, at this moment, a lot of infections across the country," White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said on Wednesday.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky urged "local leaders to encourage use of prevention strategies like masking in public indoor settings" for areas currently with high COVID-19 community levels.