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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump told Americans to “get out there” and not fear COVID-19 when he returned to the White House on Monday (Oct. 5) after leaving the hospital where he was treated for the disease. .
“Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid,” Trump said in a video shortly after returning to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center.
“We’re going back, we’re going back to work. We’re going to be up front … Don’t let it rule your lives. Get out, be careful.”
The Republican president, who was running for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden in the November 3 U.S. election, was admitted to hospital on Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The disease has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and more than 209,000 in the United States alone, the highest death toll of any country.
READ: US President Trump returns to the White House hard hit by COVID-19 after leaving hospital
Trump said in the video that he “didn’t feel so good” when he was admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, and has since learned a lot about the coronavirus.
He said he had to be “up front” to lead despite the risks.
“I stayed in front, I led. Nobody who is a leader would not do what I did. And I know there is a risk, there is a danger, but that’s okay,” Trump said.
“Now I’m better and maybe I’m immune. I don’t know.”
READ: Comment: Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis brought America to the brink of a constitutional crisis
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS
Trump’s doctors have said that the president, who received supplemental oxygen twice in recent days, was not “out of the woods.”
“He may not be completely out of the woods yet,” said Dr. Sean Conley, a White House physician. “If we can get to Monday with him staying the same or improving, better yet, then we will all take that last, deep breath of relief.”
But Conley said the medical team believed Trump was ready to get out of the hospital, emphasizing that he would have world-class medical care around the clock at the White House.
The severity of Trump’s illness has been the subject of intense speculation, with some medical experts pointing out that as an older, overweight man, he was in a category more likely to develop serious complications or die from the disease.
Doctors have also treated it with a steroid, dexmethasone, which is normally used only in the most severe cases.
READ: US Vice President Debate To Include A Plexiglass Barrier After COVID-19 Outbreak At The White House
BIDEN CRITICIZES TRUMP’S OBSERVATIONS
Biden on Monday criticized Donald Trump for saying that Americans should not fear COVID-19 or let it “rule their lives.”
“I saw a tweet he made, they showed me, he said ‘don’t let COVID control your life,'” Biden told Florida Local 10 news station while campaigning in the key battlefield state.
“Tell that to the 205,000 families who lost someone.”
The former vice president joined in his comments later Monday at an outdoor event at a Miami city hall, where he criticized Trump for ignoring the importance of masks.
“I hope the president, after he’s been through what he’s been through, and I’m glad it seems to be going pretty well, will deliver the right lesson to the American people: Masks matter,” Biden said.
“These masks are important. They matter, they save lives, they prevent the spread of disease.”
Biden’s comments came just minutes after Trump returned from the hospital to the White House and removed his mask while standing on the balcony of the mansion.
“It’s a huge concern,” Biden said. “I hope that nobody goes with the message thinking that it is not a problem.
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