A positive Covid-19 test among US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's travelling party has cut short the top diplomat's first official tour of Southeast Asia, reports AP.

A member of the press corps accompanying Blinken on what was to have been a three-nation visit to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus in Kuala Lumpur, forcing Blinken to abandon the programme at his next and last stop in Bangkok, and return to the US.

Instead of spending Wednesday night in Bangkok, the State Department said Blinken would fly to the Thai capital for a very brief logistical layover before travelling to Guam to refuel and then continuing on to Hawaii.

The journalist who tested positive will stay in Kuala Lumpur for a mandatory 10-day isolation.