White House records more Covid-19 cases

Barely 24 hours after President Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre after his Covid-19 diagnosis, the circle of current and former aides to the president testing positive rapidly has widened, according to a CNN report.

Former White House counselor, Kellyanne Conway and the President’s campaign manager Bill Stepien both tested positive yesterday.

This followed the positive diagnoses of two US senators who had attended Trump’s Supreme Court nomination announcement last weekend, and Trump senior adviser Hope Hicks on Thursday. A third Republican US senator, who did not attend the nomination event, also announced a positive diagnosis.

It was a remarkably fast escalation of the virus’ threat — which the President has long downplayed — from an infection that caused him mild symptoms, to a fever to then being airlifted to the hospital, all while spreading quickly throughout the government and his campaign.

Meanwile, US President Donald Trump is doing “very well” in hospital after his Covid-19 diagnosis, his doctors said yesterday.

Dr Sean Conley said the president was not being given extra oxygen for now and had been fever-free for 24 hours.

However, the White House chief of staff expressed concern about the president’s condition, saying he was not yet on a clear path to recovery.

In exactly one month, Mr Trump faces Joe Biden in the presidential election.

The positive diagnosis, made public by the President Trump in a tweet early on Friday, has upended his campaign and also cast doubt on his attempt to get a new Supreme Court judge confirmed before polling day.

The president is expected to remain at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre close to Washington DC for a “few days”, according to the White House. Dr Conley said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Mr Trump’s condition but that he could not give a timetable for his discharge.