Trump to check out of hospital later today

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced he is leaving the hospital Monday where he received emergency treatment for Covid-19, telling Americans, who´ve seen nearly 210,000 people die from the virus this year, that they have nothing to worry about.

Trump´s Twitter statement, declaring himself rejuvenated and telling Americans “don´t be afraid of Covid,” came hours after his own chief spokeswoman tested positive for the virus — the latest in an outbreak raging within the White House. “I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good!” Trump tweeted.

“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!”

The 74-year-old Republican, who faces an uphill reelection battle against Democrat Joe Biden in less than a month, has been doing everything to try to project strength and confidence since his hospitalization Friday.

But a combination of White House secrecy, conflicting information from officials and the outbreak in Trump´s own staff and political circle has undermined his credibility.In a briefing from the hospital, presidential physician Sean Conley said Trump is in good shape again, following an aggressive cocktail of therapeutic drugs.

“He´s back, yeah,” Conley said.But Conley said Trump would not be “entirely out of the woods” for another week and he conceded that the mix of medicines meant “we´re in a bit of uncharted territory.”

Once in the White House, it´s not clear how free Trump will be to move about. The facility has a large medical team of its own which will monitor the president in case of relapse.Doctors say Trump is being given the steroid dexamethasone, usually associated with serious Covid-19 cases, and two experimental therapeutic drugs. In another sign of how serious his bout with Covid was, at least initially, doctors say that he was given extra oxygen on Friday — a fact they initially omitted.

Despite Trump´s characteristic claim that Covid-19 should not be of major concern, polls show it is a huge worry for Americans. His widely panned handling of the crisis this year is also reckoned to be the main reason Biden, 77, is surging in polls ahead of the November 3 election day.