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US President Donald Trump will move to a military hospital for treatment after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a White House official said Friday, as his administration and election campaign struggled to adjust to an extraordinary turnaround. in his turbulent presidency.
Grump, 74, will be transferred to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next several days as a precaution, said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
“As a precaution, and on the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will work from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days,” he said in a statement.
Trump has a mild fever, according to a source familiar with the matter. White House physician Sean P. Conley wrote in a memo that he is “tired but in a good mood.”
It was the latest recent setback for the Republican president, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
Trump, who has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the start, wrote on Twitter early 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 It has seriously damaged the American economy.
Trump, an active Twitter user, has not posted a message since.
Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained apparently in good health during his time in office, but he is not known to exercise regularly or eat a healthy diet.
Conley said Trump has received an experimental treatment, REGN-COV2 from Regeneron. The drug is one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used to treat a wide range of diseases. Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s chief of infectious diseases, is among those who say the technique shows promise.
Trump is also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin.
Wall Street stocks closed lower as news of Trump’s diagnosis added to mounting uncertainties surrounding the election.
The president’s illness turned his re-election campaign upside down with only 31 days to go on Election Day. The campaign said it would postpone rallies and other events where it was scheduled to appear, or put them online.
Meanwhile, Biden campaigned in Michigan after testing negative for the virus. At a union in Grand Rapids, Biden said he was praying for his rival’s speedy recovery and urged Americans to wear masks to slow the spread of the disease.
But he also implicitly criticized Trump, who rarely wears a mask in public and has held large campaign rallies with little social distancing.
“Be a patriot,” Biden said. “It’s not about being a tough guy. It’s about doing your part.”
Biden’s U.S. presidential campaign is temporarily removing negative ads about President Trump after his diagnosis, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trump’s illness also raised questions about the health of others at the top of the US government.
Vice President Mike Pence, who will take office if Trump becomes seriously ill, tested negative, a spokesman said. The 61-year-old former Indiana governor works from his own residence several miles from the White House.
Pence took over Trump’s planned calls with governors and retiree organizations. His Oct. 7 debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will go as planned, organizers said. Harris has tested negative for the virus, according to the campaign.
More to follow …
Reuters
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