(USA TODAY) WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was headed to the hospital Friday after he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19, raising fresh questions about the president’s health.
Trump, 74, was going to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, in what aides said was a precautionary move. Officials said they expected him to be there for a few days.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president “remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day.”
“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. President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the First Lady,” she added.
The president’s diagnosis, which he tweeted just before 1 a.m. on Friday, sent shockwaves through Washington and across the country, causing markets to plummet just weeks before the presidential election.
The president received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail as a precautionary measure, according to a memo from White House physician Dr. Sean Conley. The antibody cocktail is being studied in four late-stage clinical trials and its safety and efficacy have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority, the company said on its page.
The president also has been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin, Conley said.
“As of this afternoon, the President remains fatigued but in good spirits,” Conley said, according to the memo.
Conley said the first lady was experiencing only a “mild cough and headache.” He added that other members of the president’s family are well and tested negative for COVID-19.
Trump has not posted to his Twitter account since announcing his diagnosis, an uncharacteristic move for a president who frequently tweets and retweets throughout the day.
“We’re having to hold him back a little here because he is hard at work,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News on Friday afternoon.
When asked whether Trump would address the nation about his health in the coming days, McEnany said: “It’s safe to say that you’ll be seeing and hearing from the president as he moves forward with his working schedule.”
Counselor to the President Hope Hicks walks from Marine One to accompany President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One as he departs Sept. 30, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
Trump revealed his test results after his one of his closest advisers, Hope Hicks, who joined the president on a series of recent trips, had been infected. Hicks began feeling symptoms on a return flight from the president’s rally in Minnesota on Wednesday and was isolated from other passengers on the plane.
White House officials knew Hicks tested positive before Trump traveled to his golf resort in Bedminster, N.J., to attend a fundraiser Thursday, Meadows confirmed.
“I can tell you in terms of Hope Hicks, we discovered that right as Marine One was taking off yesterday,” Meadows said.
He added that some people who had been traveling and in close contact with Hicks were removed from the flight, raising questions about why the president proceeded with the fundraiser, which saw him come in contact with dozens of supporters.
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence both tested negative. Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden announced they also tested negative after coming into contact with the president at Tuesday’s first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.