Donald Trump coronavirus update: Doctor says he’s free from COVID-19 symptoms

US President Donald Trump has made a remarkable recovery from coronavirus, according to a statement released by his doctor.

President Donald Trump has been free of COVID-19 symptoms for 24 hours and has not had a fever in four days, his doctor says.

“The president this morning says ‘I feel great’,” doctor Sean Conley said in a brief update on Wednesday (US time).

Mr Trump tested positive to coronavirus last week and was hospitalised at the Walter Reed military medical centre late Friday evening, returning to the White House on Monday evening.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Picture: AFP

“His physical exam and vital signs, including oxygen saturation and respiratory rate, all remain stable and in normal range,” the doctor’s statement said.

“He’s now been fever-free for more than four days, symptom-free for over 24 hours, and has not needed nor received any supplemental oxygen since initial hospitalisation.”

In an apparent attempt to provide greater clarity over how the disease has progressed, the statement also detailed that COVID-19 antibodies were found in Trump’s blood tests on Monday, but not last Thursday.

He announced he was positive in the early hours of Friday.

A Wednesday update from President @realDonaldTrump’s physician: pic.twitter.com/IEn3Clv9yg

— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 7, 2020

Mr Conley has been criticised for giving confusing and misleading comments about President Trump’s condition, at one point deflecting questions on whether Mr Trump had been administered oxygen.

He later issued a clarifying statement: “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the President, his course of illness has had. I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so it came off that we were trying to hide something,” Mr Conley said, adding that “wasn’t necessarily true.”

White House physician Sean Conley (centre) answers questions during an update on the condition of US President Donald Trump. Picture: AFP

If the latest comments are accurate, it’s an indication Mr Trump is making a remarkable recovery.

According to the CDC, Mr Trump would be considered contagious for between 10 and 20 days from the onset of symptoms, depending on the severity of his disease.

“Knowing the antibody level in the acute phase of illness before he’s still not even out of contagiousness period, it doesn’t give me a whole lot of information,” Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told AFP.

“We still need to watch him for the next couple of days to see how he does. He appears to be on a good trajectory from everything we’ve seen so far.”

Meanwhile, President Trump has returned to the Oval Office, US media is reporting.

A marine was pictured outside the West Wing on Wednesday, offering a clue to what was going on behind him.

A marine stands guard outside the Oval Office. Picture: Twitter

Mr Trump was briefed on the fast-approaching Hurricane Delta and stimulus talks, the White House said.

A nurse was posted outside the Oval Office and a cleaning crew was seen entering the area, the New York Times reports.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was with Mr Trump — wearing personal protective gear.

NEW: President Trump is now in the Oval Office, a senior administration official tells me. pic.twitter.com/nPmIDUeq07

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) October 7, 2020

This can mean only one thing... @realDonaldTrump must be in the Oval Office. Marine just posted outside the West Wing. pic.twitter.com/Gu2pEMyWqk

— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) October 7, 2020

Mr Trump has vowed to return to campaigning shortly and to participate in the second presidential debate against opponent Joe Biden in Miami on October 15.

The President is confronted by dire polling numbers ahead of the November 3 election, which comes as the economy struggles to recover from COVID-19 shutdowns that have left countless families and businesses struggling.

The latest polls forecast a clear victory for Joe Biden, with CNN giving the Democrat a national advantage of 57 per cent to 41 per cent among likely voters, and women voters going 66 to 32 per cent in his favour.

– with AFP