President Donald Trump has returned to the White House following his Covid-19 diagnosis, but he will remain under treatment.
Trump, who left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, appears to be restarting his reelection campaign.
The president was in a dark suit and blue tie and wearing a face mask while descending the steps outside the hospital. He did not talk to reporters but said “thank you very much” as he passed by. He went inside a black SUV, which brought him to his helicopter, Marine One.
When he landed on the White House, he watched Marine One fly off, removed his mask, and saluted the chopper.
Trump also posted a video on Twitter. “One thing’s for certain: Don’t let it dominate you," he said.
“We have the best medical equipment, we have the best medicines, all developed recently,” said the president.
“I know there’s a risk, there’s a danger, but that’s OK,” he added. “And now I’m better, and maybe I’m immune, I don’t know.”
There will be a team of doctors who will continuously monitor Trump, who said he wanted to promptly resume his campaign.
“Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!! The Fake News only shows the Fake Polls,” he tweeted.
"Not out of the woods yet"
In a press briefing, Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, said that the president "may not entirely be out of the woods yet."
Conley stressed that the medical team is “cautiously optimistic,” but “we’re in a bit of uncharted territory” in terms of Trump's treatment.
“So we’re looking to this weekend. If we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving, better yet, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief,” the doctor noted.
However, Conley declined to address questions that require him to disclose details.
“There are HIPAA rules and regulations that restrict me in sharing certain things, for his safety and his own health and reasons,” he stressed.
However, Conley explained that Trump “has not been on any fever-reducing medications for over 72 hours.” Trump will take another dose of remdesivir before his departure, the White House physician noted.
Minutes before announcing his imminent departure, Trump defended his decision Sunday to make a drive-by appearance in front of a group of his supporters outside the hospital. Health experts had condemned the move, noting that the president, who is possibly still contagious, may have put Secret Service members at risk.
Meanwhile, health authorities point out that the coronavirus has a lasting effect on one's health. They believe that full recovery is not always possible.
“This virus does more than kill people. As a Covid survivor myself, I can tell you that you don’t necessarily recover fully. You can have cognitive dysfunction. You can be fatigued. There are all sorts of people with this long-haulers syndrome, so even if he comes through this without this terrible reaction which can occur around days seven to 10, he may not recover fully. We won’t know that for some time,” Dr. Ian Lipkin, an infectious disease expert at Columbia University, told CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”
