Covid surge hangs over US election in closing days: US states were grappling with a surge in Covid-19 cases and a senior aide to Mike Pence, the vice-president, reportedly tested positive for the virus, as Donald Trump and Joe Biden staged a series of campaign rallies on Saturday. The campaign events were held as several US states reported a sharp uptick in infections and Marc Short, chief of staff to Pence, tested positive for coronavirus, adding that the vice-president had tested negative. The US reported 82,668 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, down from a record one-day high of 83,010 on