US President Donald Trump is no longer a Covid transmission risk to others, the White House physician has said.
Sean Conley’s memo is the first update on Mr Trump’s health since Thursday.
There had been concerns that he might still be contagious following his three-day hospital stay. However, the statement did not say whether Mr Trump had tested negative for Covid-19.
He is due to face Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the presidential election in less than a month, on 3 November.
Polling suggests Mr Biden has a 10-point lead over Mr Trump, and an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that just 35% of Americans approved of how the president has handled the coronavirus crisis.
More than 214,000 Americans are known to have died of Covid-19.
What did Conley say?
The doctor’s memo said the latest tests on the president revealed there was “no longer evidence of actively replicating virus”, and that his viral load was “decreasing”.
In the memo, Dr Conley said President Trump had been given sensitive lab tests that detect how much of the virus is still in his system.
“This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning’s Covid PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others,” he said.
Mr Trump first started showing symptoms of coronavirus 10 days ago, and was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center a day later, on 2 October.
While there, he was treated with – among other medication – dexamethasone, a steroid medication usually only used on people who are seriously or critically ill with the virus.
Dr Conley’s latest update comes after President Trump told a crowd at a White House event that he was “feeling great”. He also said that he was no longer taking any medication against Covid-19.
The event on Saturday was officially a “peaceful protest”, but looked, critics said, much like a Trump campaign rally.
Why were there concerns over Trump’s latest event?
The rally brought together several hundred people. Images from the event showed many of them packed closely together.
The White House said those attending were required to undergo temperature checks and fill out questionnaires. Face masks were advised, although not everybody complied.
Source: BBC
