President Trump ‘doing very well’, says White House doctor

Donald Trump’s doctor said on Saturday that the US president is “doing very well”, hours after he was moved to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking to reporters outside the military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, Dr Sean Conley said Trump has been “fever-free for 24 hours” after he had a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue on Thursday. “This morning, the president is doing very well,” Conley said. “At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” said Conley, who added that he recommended moving Trump to the medical centre “as a precautionary measure to provide state-of-the-art monitoring and any care that he may need”. An unnamed source familiar with the president’s health told reporters Saturday, however, that Trump was “still not on a clear path to a full recovery”, according to a read-out from the White House press pool. “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,” the source said. Dr. Sean Conley spoke to the media about US President Donald Trump’s health outside Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday morning [Ken Cedeno/Reuters]The US president thanked his medical team in a tweet Saturday afternoon. “Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!” Trump wrote. In a statement put out by the White House on behalf of Conley Saturday afternoon, the doctor clarified his earlier statements to the press, after questions were raised about when Trump tested positive for COVID-19. The president was first diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday evening, the statement said, and he received an antibody cocktail on Friday. Conley had earlier told reporters that Trump received a first dose of a five-day course of Remdesivir, a drug known to help patients recover from the virus. He also said the president had not received supplemental oxygen on Saturday, Friday or Thursday. “Right now, all indicators are that he’ll remain off of oxygen going forward,” said Conley, who said “there’s no cause for concern”. White House officials said late on Friday that Trump was moved to the facility “out of an abundance of caution” and would be working from there for the “next few days”. Trump was seen walking onto a helicopter outside the White House on Friday evening to be taken to Walter Reed. In a video filmed shortly before his departure, the president said, “I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out.” He later tweeted from the hospital: “Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!” style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">