U.S. President Donald Trump will be discharged from the hospital later Monday and return to the White House where he will continue to receive coronavirus treatment, his medical team said, noting that he may not be "entirely out of the woods yet."
The 74-year-old president, who was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on Thursday and admitted to the hospital the following day, tweeted, "I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good!"
Although he has been criticized for frequently downplaying the threat of the virus before he became ill, the president appeared to repeat a similar message to the public even before leaving the hospital.
"Don't be afraid of Covid. Don't let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!" he tweeted.
The president's physician Sean Conley told a joint press conference with other members of the medical team that the president has met or exceeded all hospital discharge criteria and that more than 72 hours have passed since he last had a fever.
"Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations, and most importantly, his clinical status, support the president's safe return home, where he'll be surrounded by world-class medical care 24/7," Conley said.
Asked about concerns of a potential worsening or reversal of the president's health condition, Conley said the team will remain on guard through this weekend.
"We're in a bit of uncharted territory when it comes to a patient that received the therapies he has so early in the course," the doctor said. "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 president has received an experimental antibody cocktail manufactured by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. He has also taken the anti-viral drug remdesivir and dexamethasone, a steroid that has been known to be helpful for people suffering from severe COVID-19 symptoms.
With just weeks left until the Nov. 3 election, Trump has been eager to recover from the respiratory illness and return to campaign activities.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, meanwhile, announced earlier Monday that she has become the latest Trump aide to test positive for the highly contagious virus. She said she is not experiencing any symptoms and will begin a quarantine process.
Hope Hicks, a counselor to the president, tested positive Thursday, which was followed by an announcement by Trump in the early hours of Friday that he and his wife Melania were also infected.
McEnany held a press briefing Thursday at the White House. She was not wearing a mask at that time. She also spoke with reporters on various occasions in recent days.
"I definitely had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday," she said, adding that she has "worked diligently to provide needed information" to the American people at this time.
Some Republican senators and other guests who attended a White House event on Sept. 26 have also reportedly tested positive for the virus, raising speculation that it could have been a "super spreader" event.
More than 150 people gathered for the outdoor ceremony, during which Trump announced his Supreme Court justice nominee, according to U.S. media.
Guests were seated in close proximity to one another and few wore masks. The White House has reportedly said that all guests tested negative for the virus before the event. McEnany was also in attendance.
