Trump back to campaigning
Donald Trump is no longer a transmission risk for Covid-19, his doctor said late on Saturday, as the US president seeks to put his bout with coronavirus behind him and return to the campaign fray.
Trump, trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in opinion polls, addressed supporters from a White House balcony on Saturday afternoon. He urged a crowd of hundreds of largely Black and Latino supporters to help get out the vote in the November 3 election.
His physician Sean Conley said in a statement later that Trump had taken a test on Saturday showing he was no longer "a transmission risk to others," and there was no longer evidence "of actively replicating virus."
The White House had no immediate comment on whether Conley's statement meant Trump had actually tested negative for the coronavirus.
Some medical experts had been skeptical that Trump could be declared free of the risk of transmitting the virus so early in the course of his illness. Just 10 days since an initial diagnosis of infection, there was no way to know for certain that someone was no longer contagious, they said.
Dr Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist and department chairman at the Yale School of Public Health, said Saturday night that the White House appeared to be following CDC guidelines for when it is appropriate to end isolation after mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.
But Ko cautioned that those who have had severe cases of the diseases should isolate for 20 days.
He noted that Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone, which is normally reserved for patients with severe Covid-19.
"It looks like I'm immune for, I don't know, maybe a long time and maybe a short time, it could be a lifetime, nobody really knows, but I'm immune," Trump said in a Fox News interview yesterday.
The US president first revealed that he had tested positive on October 2, and spent three days in hospital. The White House has not disclosed when Trump last tested negative.
Trump is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. Saturday's event set the stage for a full-fledged campaign rally today in Florida -- followed immediately by two more in battleground Pennsylvania Tuesday and Iowa Wednesday.
The president's illness has cast a spotlight on the pandemic, which has infected nearly 7.7 million people in the United States and killed over 213,000.
His administration has faced criticism for its handling of the crisis, and for its lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House. At least 11 close Trump aides have tested positive for coronavirus.
Speaking firmly and with no sign of the raspy throat evident in recent interviews, Trump delivered a shorter-than-usual campaign speech.
He attacked Democrats as pursuing a "socialist" or even "Communist" agenda, and hailed his own record in fighting crime and boosting the US economy, while flag-waving supporters cheered and chanted, "We love you."
Democrats and some commentators criticised Saturday's event for potentially exposing a new batch of supporters to the virus and for using a federal building as an election prop.
Asked about it in New Castle, Delaware, Biden said he hoped the president and his supporters were taking precautions.
"They should be socially distant and wearing masks," he said. "It's the only responsible thing to do."
Trump standing alone at the event, was not wearing a mask as he spoke. In the crowd, most were wearing masks but not following social distancing guidelines.
Trump repeated past calls for states to reopen their economies even as new cases hit a two-month high on Friday. A Reuters analysis showed more than 58,000 infections were reported and hospitalisations in the Midwest hit a record for a fifth successive day.
Opinion polls show Biden with a substantial lead nationally, although with a narrower advantage in some of the states that may decide the election outcome.
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