Washington: President Donald Trump is not yet on a clear path to recovery from Covid-19 and some of his vital signs over the last 24 hours were very concerning, a person familiar with his health said on Saturday.
The source's assessment of the Republican president's medical status came after a team of doctors told reporters at a press conference earlier on Saturday that he was "doing very well."
One of those doctors said Trump had told them "'I feel like I could walk out of here today.'"
The source, who asked not to be identified, said the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of Trump's care.
Trump, 74, left the White House and was moved to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington on Friday just hours after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
The New York Times said the decision to transport Trump to the hospital came after he had experienced difficulty breathing and his oxygen level dropped, prompting his doctors to give him supplemental oxygen, according to two sources that the newspaper said were close to the White House.
White House doctor Sean P. Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Saturday that Trump had not experienced difficulty breathing, and was not given oxygen at Walter Reed.
"The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made," Conley said. He declined to give a timetable for Trump's possible release from the hospital.
Trump tweeted praise for the medical staff at Walter Reed, and other institutions that have joined them, saying they are "amazing" and that with their help, "I am feeling well!"
The White House has said Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure. He had no public events scheduled on Saturday.
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Trump has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, even as the disease has killed more than 200,000 Americans and hammered the U.S. economy.
Conley said Trump had received a first dose of a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays. He is also taking an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2, one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, as well as zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, Conley has said.
Trump announced on Twitter early on Friday that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had contracted the virus.
He is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
A number of other prominent Republicans have also said they tested positive for COVID-19 since Trump's announcement, including Republican Senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
Vice President Mike Pence, who would take over presidential duties if Trump became severely ill, tested negative, a spokesman said. The former Indiana governor, 61, is working from his own residence about three miles from the White House.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was himself hospitalized with COVID-19 in April, told reporters on Saturday he had no doubt Trump would make a strong recovery.
"He's a naturally obviously very resilient character and I'm sure he'll come through it very well," Johnson said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Trump and his wife on Saturday, wishing them a speedy recovery, Chinese state TV said.
ELECTION DAY LOOMS
The Trump campaign on Friday suspended in-person campaign events involving the president or his family. But Pence will continue stumping for the president and Trump's campaign said on Saturday that Pence will host an Oct. 8 event in Peoria, Arizona.
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday and will work from home, according to a senior campaign official.
Biden pulled ads attacking Trump off the air but otherwise continued his campaign, traveling to Michigan on Friday after testing negative for the virus.
In a Twitter post on Saturday, Biden urged Americans to don masks. "Don't just do it for yourself. Do it for the people you love."
Pence's Oct. 7 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go forward as planned, organizers said.
The virus could complicate Trump's push to install conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court.
Lee and Tillis are both members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to begin hearings on Barrett's nomination on Oct. 12.
On Saturday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said all Senate floor activity would be rescheduled until after Oct. 19, but committee work, including Barrett's confirmation hearing, would continue.
Washington: US President Donald Trump was in a military hospital on Saturday for treatment after testing positive for Covid-19, an extraordinary development that upended the presidential race a month before the Nov. 3 election.
Roughly 17 hours after he made his diagnosis public, Trump walked slowly on Friday from the White House to a waiting helicopter to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He wore a mask and business suit and did not speak to reporters.
“I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” Trump said in a brief video message posted on Twitter. Early on Friday, he had tweeted that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had contracted the virus.
Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
Trump had no public events scheduled on Saturday.
Online video showed a small group of Trump supporters outside Walter Reed late on Friday waving Trump 2020 flags, most not wearing masks.
Trump, 74, has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P. Conley said late on Friday that Trump was doing very well, did not need supplemental oxygen, and had received a first dose of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.
Conley is scheduled to provide an update on Trump’s condition at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT).
In a tweet late on Friday, the president wrote: “Going well, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!”
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Trump has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, even as the disease has killed more than 200,000 Americans and hammered the U.S. economy.
A number of other prominent Republicans also tested positive on Friday, including former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and Republican Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis.
On Saturday, a third senator was diagnosed with COVID-19: Republican Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Vice President Mike Pence, who would take over presidential duties if Trump became severely ill, tested negative, a spokesman said. The former Indiana governor, 61, is working from his own residence about three miles from the White House.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Conley said earlier on Friday that Trump has received an experimental treatment, Regeneron’s REGN-COV2, one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used for treating a wide range of illnesses.
Trump is also taking zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, Conley said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was himself hospitalized with Covid-19 in April, said on Saturday he had no doubt Trump would make a strong recovery.
“He’s a naturally obviously very resilient character and I’m sure he’ll come through it very well,” Johnson told reporters.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, joining well-wishers at home and abroad, sent a message to Trump and his wife on Saturday, wishing them a speedy recovery, Chinese state television reported.
ELECTION DAY LOOMS
With just 31 days to go until Election Day, Trump’s campaign said it would postpone rallies and other events where he was scheduled to appear, or take them online.
Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday and will work from home, according to a senior campaign official.
Biden pulled ads attacking Trump off the air but otherwise continued his campaign, traveling to Michigan on Friday after testing negative for the virus.
In a Twitter post on Saturday, Biden urged Americans to don masks. “Don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for the people you love.”
The Republican National Committee would choose a replacement nominee if Trump were to become incapacitated, but it is too late in most states to change the names on the ballot. Some 2.9 million people have already voted, according to figures compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.
Pence took over Trump’s planned calls with governors and retirees’ organizations. His Oct. 7 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go forward as planned, organisers said.
Harris has also tested negative, according to the campaign.
The virus could complicate Trump’s push to install conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court.
Lee and Tillis are both members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to begin hearings on Barrett’s nomination on Oct. 12.
Barrett herself tested positive for the virus earlier this year and recovered, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Tillis, who said in a statement that he has no symptoms, will isolate at home for 10 days. Polls show a close race between him and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham for his North Carolina seat, one of several Democrats hope to flip in their quest to win a Senate majority in November.
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump was in a military hospital on Saturday for treatment after testing positive for Covid-19, an extraordinary development that upended the presidential race a month before the Nov. 3 election.
Roughly 17 hours after he made his diagnosis public, Trump walked slowly from the White House to a waiting helicopter to be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He wore a mask and business suit and did not speak to reporters.
Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020
"I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out," Trump said in a brief video message posted on Twitter. Early on Friday, he had tweeted that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had contracted the virus.
Trump will work in a special suite at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. Online video showed a small group of Trump supporters outside Walter Reed late on Friday waving Trump 2020 flags, most not wearing masks.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Trump, 74, has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P. Conley said late on Friday that Trump was doing very well, did not need supplemental oxygen, and had received a first dose of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.
In a tweet late on Friday, the president wrote: "Going well, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!"
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Trump has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, even as the disease has killed more than 200,000 Americans and hammered the U.S. economy.
A number of other prominent Republicans also tested positive on Friday, including former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and Republican senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis.
Vice President Mike Pence, who would take over presidential duties if Trump became severely ill, tested negative, a spokesman said. The former Indiana governor, 61, is working from his own residence several miles from the White House.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Conley said earlier on Friday that Trump has received an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2, one of several experimental Covid-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used for treating a wide range of illnesses.
Trump is also taking zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, Conley said.
Stocks on Wall Street closed lower as news of Trump's diagnosis added to mounting uncertainties surrounding the election.
ELECTION DAY LOOMS
With just 31 days to go until Election Day, Trump's campaign said it would postpone rallies and other events where he was scheduled to appear, or take them online.
Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and will work from home, according to a senior campaign official.
Biden pulled ads attacking Trump off the air but otherwise continued his campaign, traveling to Michigan on Friday after testing negative for the virus.
At a union hall in Grand Rapids, Biden said he was praying for his rival's recovery. However, he also implicitly criticized Trump, who has mocked Biden for routinely wearing a mask and has held huge campaign rallies with little social distancing.
"Be patriotic," Biden said. "It's not about being a tough guy. It's about doing your part."
The Republican National Committee would choose a replacement nominee if Trump were to become incapacitated, but it is too late in most states to change the names on the ballot. Some 2.9 million people have already voted, according to figures compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.
Pence took over Trump's planned calls with governors and retirees' organisations. His Oct. 7 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go forward as planned, organisers said.
Harris has also tested negative, according to the campaign.
The virus could complicate Trump's push to install conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court.
In addition to the president and his wife, at least four people who were at a White House event to announce Barrett's nomination - Conway, Lee, Tillis and University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins - said Friday they have tested positive.
Lee and Tillis are both members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to begin hearings on Barrett's nomination on Oct. 12.
Barrett herself tested positive for the virus earlier this year and recovered, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Tillis, who said in a statement that he has no symptoms, will isolate at home for 10 days. Polls show a close race between him and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham for his North Carolina seat, one of several Democrats hope to flip in their quest to win a Senate majority in November.
Trump is the latest world leader to contract the virus.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was rushed into intensive care after falling gravely ill in March. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the virus a "little flu" after being infected in July. Both men recovered.
Washington: US President Donald Trump is moving to a military hospital for treatment after being diagnosed with Covid-19, the White House said on Friday, as his administration and election campaign scrambled to adjust to an extraordinary twist in his turbulent presidency.
Trump, 74, will be moved to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days as a precautionary measure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
"Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days," she said in a statement.
Trump has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House doctor Sean P. Conley wrote in a memo that he is "fatigued but in good spirits."
It was the latest recent setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Trump, who has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, wrote on Twitter earlier on Friday that he and his wife Melania were going into quarantine after testing positive for the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and severely damaged the U.S. economy.
An active Twitter user, Trump has not posted any messages since then.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Conley said Trump has received a single dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail, a technique that is used for treating a wide range of illnesses. Data is limited on its effectiveness for Covid-19 but U.S. infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci is among those saying it has promise.
Trump is also taking zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.
Washington: US President Donald Trump is experiencing mild symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus, administration officials said on Friday, as the White House and presidential election campaign scrambled to adjust to the bombshell development.
Trump, who has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, said he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the deadly virus and were going into quarantine. Their son Barron had tested negative, a White House official said.
Trump is not incapacitated and is working in isolation to avoid infecting others, a White House official said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the president, 74, was exhibiting mild symptoms. They gave no more details.
“We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” Trump said in a tweet early on Friday morning.
Wall Street tumbled at news of one of the biggest health scares involving an American president for decades, with the S&P 500 plunging more than %1.5 at the opening.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative, a Pence spokesman said. The White House official said Pence would work from his own residence several miles from the White House and his staff was being kept separated from Trump’s staff “out of an abundance of caution.”
Pence, 61, a conservative former U.S. lawmaker and Indiana governor, would take over if Trump were to become incapacitated.
The president’s illness upended his re-election campaign with just 31 days left to go until the presidential election. Polls show Trump trailing his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Biden said on Twitter that he and his wife Jill wished Trump and the first lady a speedy recovery. “We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” he said.
Biden is expected to be tested on Friday and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris tested negative on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Just hours before Trump’s announcement, the president had proclaimed the pandemic almost over, while Biden had tweeted accusing Trump of trying to distract from a “failed Covid-19 response” that led to the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans from the disease.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
The Republican National Committee would chose a replacement nominee if Trump were to become incapacitated, but it is already too late in most states to change the names on the ballot. Millions of ballots have been sent out to voters and at least 2.2 million people have already voted, according to figures compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, a spokesman said.
CAMPAIGN CRISIS
Trump understated the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in its early stages and has repeatedly predicted it would go away. He rarely wears a mask and regularly mocks others including Biden for wearing them so often.
Trump advisers acknowledged that they would have to rip up their plans for the final weeks of the election campaign. Trump has held in-person rallies with supporters who mainly decline to wear masks, and has taunted Biden for avoiding such events.
“Trump is a high-energy president with a giant personality. Without his persona, the campaign is missing its energy,” Republican fundraiser Dan Eberhart said.
Trump’s positive test also means that others at the highest levels of the U.S. government have been exposed and may have to quarantine, too. Meadows said all core White House staff has been tested with negative results, and another White House official said contact tracing was under way.
International leaders and U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle offered sympathy to Trump but his estranged niece Mary Trump took a swipe at him for his handling of the response to the pandemic.
“I reserve my sympathy, empathy, and despair for those who are sick and for those who have died because they were misled, lied to, or ignored,” she wrote on Twitter.
Trump is the latest world leader to be tested positive for the virus, which can cause a severe respiratory infection.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson kept working in isolation for around a week after testing positive in March but then fell gravely ill and was rushed into intensive care. He spent several weeks recovering before returning to work.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went into quarantine in March after his wife was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the virus a “little flu” after being infected in July.
On Thursday night, shortly after Trump predicted the pandemic’s end was in sight, news broke that Hope Hicks, a top adviser and trusted aide, had tested positive for the virus. Hicks traveled with the president on Air Force One on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Trump flew to New Jersey after White House officials learned of Hicks’s symptoms, and attended a fundraiser at his golf club and delivered a speech. Trump was in close contact with other people, including campaign supporters, at a roundtable event.
The president’s condition is likely to bring the pandemic back to center stage in the race, after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shifted the campaign’s focus.
Trump, who has been criticized for questioning the efficacy of wearing a face covering, produced a mask from his pocket in his first debate against Biden on Tuesday and said, “I wear masks when needed. When needed, I wear masks.”
He then ridiculed the former vice president for putting one on regularly: “I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from them and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen,” Trump said.
The White House has had previous coronavirus scares. Pence’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, tested positive earlier this year and suffered symptoms before recovering.
But the White House lowered its precautions as Trump sought to project a return-to-normality message this summer. Temperature checks of everyone entering the White House complex stopped, and while coronavirus tests continued for people who came into close proximity to Trump, others on campus were not tested.
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