US President Donald Trump has announced that he will be leaving hospital and returning to the White House within hours after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
He shared the news on Instagram, saying he felt “really good”.
“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M,” he said.
“Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”
The President’s physician Dr Sean Conley has endorsed the President’s move to leave the hospital, which has surprised many medical experts.
“Though he may not be entirely out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all his evaluations and, most importantly, his clinical status support his return home, where he’ll be surrounded by world class medical care 24/7,” Dr Conley told reporters in his most recent briefing on Mr Trump’s condition today.
He also explained that it had been more than 72 hours since Trump had a fever and that his oxygen levels were normal.
“Over the past 24 hours, the President had continued to improve. He’s met or exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria,” said Dr Conley.
“He’ll receive another dose of remdesivir here today, and then we plan to get him home.”
After being diagnosed, Trump received a variety of therapies, including the antiviral drug remdesivir, supplemental oxygen and a mix of antibodies developed by pharmaceutical company Regeneron.
The White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said that Trump has “continued to improve overnight and is ready to get back to a normal working schedule”.
“[The president] will meet with his doctors and nurses this morning to make further assessments of his progress,” Meadows said, according to Fox News’ John Roberts.
“We are still optimistic that he will be able to return to the White House later today.”
There are still positive cases in Trump’s inner circle, including his wife Melanie, his aide Hope Hicks, his campaign manager Bill Stepien and more than half a dozen others from his circle both inside and outside the White House.
Trump has been criticised for how he has handled the coronavirus pandemic, as America has the world’s biggest reported coronavirus death toll at 210,000 deaths.
