The White House physician, Sean Conley has confirmed President Donald Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 and he is not infectious to others.
“I can share with you that he tested negative, on consecutive days, using the Abbot BinaxNOW antigen card,” Sean Conley said in a White House memo.
The doctor said the negative determination had taken into account a number of measurements, and not just the rapid test alone.
Dr Conley added that the negative tests and other clinical and laboratory data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication.”
He did not say when Trump was tested, but the medical team had determined that, based on the data and guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the president is not infectious to others,” Conley said.
Trump announced on October 2 that he had tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus. He was admitted to Walter Reed military hospital that night and released on October 5.
During the weekend, Trump addressed groups of supporters who crowded onto the White House lawn from a balcony.
The announcement came as Trump travelled to Sanford, Florida to take part in his first campaign rally since becoming infected with the coronavirus.
Thousands gathered at the outdoor rally in Sanford, Florida, where the President made the first of four planned campaign stops over the next four days in battleground states.
Referring to his own recovery from Covid-19, he said during the campaign, “They say I’m immune – I feel so powerful. I’ll walk in there and kiss everyone. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women, I’ll give you a big, fat kiss.”
He publicized stock market growth, the establishment of the US Space Force and his successful confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court justices to the bench – with a third nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, before the Senate this week – as major achievements.
The President also criticized Biden for holding socially distanced events in which attendees sit in designated circles.
“They only have the circles because that’s the only way they can fill up the room,” the President said, before gazing out at his own large and raucous crowd that contravenes every government recommendation on combating the virus and saying: “These are the real polls.”
Meanwhile, Mr Biden has attacked the president’s approach, saying that “President Trump comes to Sanford today bringing nothing but reckless behaviour, divisive rhetoric, and fear mongering”.
The Democratic candidate said, “The longer Donald Trump is president the more reckless he seems to get.”
He also questioned the Senate hearing on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
“In the middle of this pandemic, why do Republicans have time to hold a hearing on the Supreme Court instead of providing the significant economic need for localities?” Biden asked. “I’ll tell you why. It’s about finally getting his wish to wipe out the Affordable Care Act.”
President Trump has scheduled events in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin all later this week despite unanswered questions about how so much travel, so soon after contracting the virus will impact the 74-year-old’s health.
