United States President Donald Trump is "doing very well" after being treated with experimental antiviral drug remdesivir at a military hospital where he was taken on Friday after his Covid-19 diagnosis, his doctors said.
Mr Trump was fever-free for a full day as at yesterday morning and his medical team was "extremely happy with the progress the President has made", his physician Sean Conley said at a press conference yesterday.
Mr Trump's cardiac, kidney and liver functions were all normal and he was not having difficulty breathing or walking around, his doctors said, adding that they were cautiously optimistic.
Mr Trump was in exceptionally good spirits and said he felt like he could walk out of the hospital that very day, they added. However US media, citing unnamed sources, reported that Mr Trump is not yet in the clear, and that some of his vital signs over the last 24 hours were very concerning.
A widening circle of top Trump aides and Republican lawmakers said they had tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, raising questions whether they and others might have been infected at a White House event last Saturday.
Among those with Covid-19 were former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, Republican senators Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and University of Notre Dame president John I. Jenkins.
They attended an outdoor ceremony where Mr Trump unveiled Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court.
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, who were in frequent contact with Mr Trump and attended Tuesday's presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, also tested positive.
Mr Trump was "fatigued but in good spirits" as at Friday afternoon, while wife Melania, who also tested positive, remained well with only a mild cough and headache, said Dr Conley.
The President was uncharacteristically silent on Twitter for most of the day after announcing his diagnosis, but in his first public comments in the evening, he said he believes he is "doing very well".
"I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support," said Mr Trump in a brief video message on Twitter, posted around the time he arrived by helicopter at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland.
"I think I'm doing very well. But we're going to make sure that things work out. The First Lady is doing very well," he said.
As he left the White House to board the Marine One helicopter, Mr Trump gave a thumbs-up to reporters and a short wave but did not take questions. Wearing a mask, he walked normally on his own without any outward sign of trouble, said a media pool report.
Dr Conley said in a statement that Mr Trump received a single 8g dose of biotech company Regeneron's antibody cocktail, and completed the infusion without incident. It is one of several experimental Covid-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies that are used to treat a wide range of illnesses.
Remdesivir, which the President is also taking, has shortened hospital stays for some coronavirus patients. Mr Trump has also been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin, Dr Conley added.
Late on Friday night, Mr Trump tweeted: "Going welI, I think! Thank you to all. Love!!!"
Earlier in the day, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: "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."
Several world leaders sent their good wishes to Mr Trump and his wife, including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chinese President Xi Jinping, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"My wife, Peng Liyuan, and I express our sympathies to you and your wife and wish you a fast recovery," Chinese state media quoted Mr Xi as saying.
