President Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after contracting the coronavirus, White House officials said.
Trump, 74, wore a blue suit, tie and a mask as he walked out of the White House on his own and boarded Marine One just before 6:20 p.m. He flashed a thumbs-up and waved to media on the South Lawn.
He was expected to remain at the Bethesda, Md., hospital, one of the best in the nation, “for the next few days” in a presidential suite, said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days,” she said. “President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the first lady.”
After arriving at Walter Reed, Trump tweeted a video thanking “everyone for the tremendous support.”
“I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” he said while standing in White House.
Trump announced in a tweet early Friday, just after midnight, that he and first lady Melania Trump, 50, had tested positive for COVID-19 after his close aide Hope Hicks, 31, also tested positive on Thursday morning.
Dr. Sean Conley, physician to the president, released a memo Friday afternoon detailing Trump’s treatment.
“As a precautionary measure he received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail,” the note read.
The treatment has shown preliminary effectiveness in reducing the viral load and symptoms of COVID-19 patients by making their body better able to fight off the virus.
Conley wrote that Trump completed the infusion “without incident” and that he was also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine (an antacid), melatonin and a daily aspirin.
Trump is not taking hydroxychloroquine, a controversial antimalaria drug he said he took in May to ward off potential infection.
Conley said that Trump remained “fatigued but in good spirits” Friday afternoon.
McEnany said the president “remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day.”
Trump is suffering from a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and a cough, two people close to him told The New York Times.
Melania tweeted that she was also experiencing mild symptoms but was “overall feeling good,” with Conley saying she had a “mild cough and headache.”
Trump’s diagnosis ground his campaigning to a halt — with planned events set to go either postponed or going virtual — just 32 days before voters head to the polls Nov. 3.
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