After spending three nights at the Walter Reed medical center, United States President Donald Trump on Monday evening returned to the White House, where he will continue to receive treatment for the coronavirus, AFP reported. Trump had tested positive on October 2.
The president took off his mask for a photo-ops as soon as he reached his official residence, even as physician, Sean P Conley, had said earlier in the day that Trump was not “out of the woods yet”.
Wearing a white cloth mask and a navy blue suit, Trump gave several thumbs up and a fist bump as he walked down the hospital’s front steps toward his waiting helicopter. After landing on the South Lawn in Washington, he took an unusual decision and climbed up a set of stairs, instead of taking the elevators, to the first-floor balcony of his residence.
He then took off his mask and posed in salute before walking back inside.
After returning home, the president posted a video on Twitter, where he again downplayed the virus, saying, “One thing that’s for certain: don’t let it dominate you; don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it.” He claimed to feel rejuvenated after his illness.
“Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!!” he said in another tweet. Before leaving the Walter Reed center, Trump announced he was feeling “very good”. “Don’t be afraid of Covid,” he said. “Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs and knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”
At a briefing earlier in the day, Trump’s physician Conley said there has been an improvement in the president’s health, according to The New York Times. “Over the past 24 hours, the president has continued to improve,” he said. “He’s met or exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria.”
“We’re looking to this weekend,” Colony added “If we can get through to Monday, with him remaining the same or improving better yet, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief.”
Meanwhile, Dr Brian Garibaldi, director of Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, said the president received his third dose of remdesivir and he tolerated that infusion without difficulty, PTI reported. His kidney and liver function continued to be normal, he said.
“Our plan is to give the fourth dose of remdesivir this [Monday] evening, before he goes back to the White House, and we’ve made arrangements to deliver the fifth and final dose of his treatment course at the White House tomorrow [Tuesday] evening,” Garibaldi added. “He continues on dexamethazone and again. The plan for today is to continue to be up and out of bed, eat, and drink and work as he is able, he said.”
Several White House officials, including First Lady Melania Trump, have tested positive for the coronavirus lately. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she has also contracted the infection.
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