Trump tests negative for COVID-19, says physician
Oct 13, 2020
Washington [US], October 13 : US President Donald Trump has tested negative for the Covid-19 virus "on consecutive days", a White House physician announced on Monday (local time), ahead of his campaign rally in Florida.
"In response to your inquiry regarding the President's most recent COVID-19 tests, I can share with you that he has tested NEGATIVE, on consecutive days, using the Abbott BinzaxNow antigen card," wrote Sean Conley, Physician to the US President to Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
He added, "It is important to note that this test was not used in isolation for the determination of the President's negative status. Repeatedly negative antigen tests, taken in context with additional clinical and laboratory data including viral load, RNA and PCR cycle threshold measurements as well as ongoing assessment of viral culture data indicate a lack of detectable viral replication."
The memorandum further stated that the "comprehensive data" in "concert with" the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for removal of transmission based precautions have informed the medical team that "The President is not infectious to others."
Trump earlier in an interview with "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo, had claimed that he was immune to the virus
"Yes, and not only that, it seems like I'm immune, so I can go way out of a basement, which I would have done anyway," Trump told Bartiromo, according to Fox News.
On Saturday, Conley had said that the president was no longer considered a 'transmission risk' to others.
Last week, Trump had returned to the White House after departing from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was admitted for treatment of COVID-19.
