Donald Trump says he’s feeling ‘much better’ amid conflicting reports on his coronavirus condition

US President Donald Trump said in a video on Saturday that he felt “much better” and hoped to be “back soon”, after a day of contradictory messages from the White House about his condition following his COVID-19 diagnosis.

In a four-minute video posted on Twitter, apparently recorded from his hospital room, Mr Trump said he “wasn’t feeling so well” when he first arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday and that the next few days would be crucial in his fight against the coronavirus.

“Over the next period of a few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days,” Mr Trump said, seated at a round table in front of an American flag.

He also thanked the medical professionals looking after him and said he was looking forward to finishing up his presidential campaign “the way it was started”.

“This [diagnosis] was something that happened, and it’s happened to millions of people all over the world, and I’m fighting for them … We’re going to beat this coronavirus, or whatever you want to call it, and we’re going to beat it soundly,” he said.

The address came hours after differing assessments of his health from administration officials left it unclear how ill the president had become since he tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday night.

A White House team of doctors said on Saturday morning that Mr Trump’s condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Mr Trump had told them “‘I feel like I could walk out of here today.’”

But within minutes, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less rosy assessment, telling them: “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”

Mr Meadows, whose initial comments were delivered on condition that he not be identified, altered his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Mr Trump was doing “very well” and that “doctors are very pleased with his vital signs.”

Mr Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments.

Mr Trump was flown from the White House to Walter Reed, near Washington, about 17 hours after he announced his illness. Administration officials, who described the move as precautionary, said he would stay at the hospital for several days.

Another source who was briefed on Mr Trump’s condition said the president was given supplemental oxygen before he went to the hospital. The decision to hospitalise Mr Trump came after he had experienced difficulty breathing and his oxygen level dropped, according to a source familiar with the situation.

White House doctor Sean Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Saturday that Mr Trump had not experienced difficulty breathing, and was not given oxygen at Walter Reed.

“The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” Dr Conley said.

Donald Trump exits Marine One while arriving to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020

AAP

Trailing in the polls

Meanwhile, more people close to the president have disclosed they have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The latest is campaign advisor Chris Christie, who was among several aides that helped Mr Trump prepare for the first presidential debate.

Three senators as well as Mr Trump’s campaign manager and other senior aides are among a growing list from the president’s orbit to have contracted the virus, with at least seven confirmed cases tied to an event in the White House Rose Garden last weekend.

With Mr Trump, who is trailing in the polls, knocked off the campaign trail for treatment, his campaign plans are in disarray ahead of a potentially messy election on 3 November.

Uncharted waters

Former White House top aide Kellyanne Conway and Mr Trump’s campaign manager, 42-year-old Bill Stepien, have contracted the coronavirus. So have at least two other Republican senators – Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah.

The latter two sit on the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, which is slated to hold hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Mr Trump’s conservative nominee to fill a vacant seat on the Supreme Court.

Public health experts have expressed alarm at the number of cases that appear linked to a celebration of Judge Barrett’s nomination at the Rose Garden on 26 September.

At least seven people who attended have now tested positive, including Mr Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Ms Conway, Mr Tillis, Mr Lee and University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins.

A crowd watches on at the White House Rose Garden last week as Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court

AP

These are uncharted waters for the US election with Mr Trump – who is well behind his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in the polls – having to freeze much of his campaign.

Mr Biden now finds himself alone on the campaign trail – and able to argue that his more cautious approach to COVID-19 has been vindicated.

Mr Biden has made Mr Trump’s frequent downplaying of the pandemic and mixed messaging on mask-wearing a central campaign theme, while Mr Trump has tried to shift the narrative to areas where he feels stronger, like the economy.

The former vice president, who stood on a stage with Mr Trump for 90 minutes during their ill-tempered first debate Tuesday, announced that he and his wife Jill tested negative Friday.

Underlining his sudden advantage in the bitter race, Mr Biden, 77, traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan on Friday, going ahead with a previously scheduled campaign stop.

However, Mr Biden also reminded voters that he has pushed consistently for a serious approach to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 208,000 Americans, unlike his opponent who has mocked the Democrat for his rigorous use of masks.

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.

If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080 . Source: SOURCE AFP-REUTERS-SBS