Trump taken to Walter Reed medical center and will be hospitalized ‘for the next few days’

By Editor On Oct 2, 2020 Last updated Oct 2, 2020

(CNN) – President Donald Trump arrived Friday evening at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the White House says he will remain hospitalized for “the next few days.”

The development came roughly 15 hours after Trump disclosed he had tested positive for coronavirus. The White House described the move as precautionary and not the product of an urgent deterioration in Trump’s condition.

Trump walked out of the White House residence at 6:16 p.m. ET — his first public appearance since announcing his diagnosis — wearing a mask and a suit. He walked on his own, without assistance, and displayed no outward signs of illness.

He waved to the media but did not stop to talk. Chief of staff Mark Meadows, also in a mask, followed.

There has been no transfer of power to Vice President Mike Pence, said White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah. “The President is in charge,” she said.

Trump flew aboard his Marine One helicopter to the hospital. It is routine for the President to travel to Walter Reed aboard Marine One.

In a statement, the President’s spokeswoman said Trump “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,” press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. “President Trump appreciates the outpouring of support for both he and the First Lady.”

An administration official said Pence was working from his residence at the Naval Observatory and remains in good health.

Trump has had a fever since Friday morning, a person familiar with the matter said, though an official said the fever remains consistent with the White House’s description of “mild symptoms.”

Earlier in the afternoon, Trump’s physician wrote in a memo he “remains fatigued but in good spirits.”

“He’s being evaluated by a team of experts, and together we’ll be making recommendations to the President and First Lady in regards to next best steps,” Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley wrote.

He said Trump had been administered a Regeneron polyclonal antibody cocktail and has been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.

The decision to give Trump an experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail illustrates how concerned the White House may be about his Covid-19 diagnosis, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN medical analyst and professor at George Washington University, told CNN on Friday.

“The big news there is that he got an experimental drug. He got a drug not approved by the FDA,” said Reiner, who has treated former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The memo also said first lady Melania Trump remains well with only a mild cough and headache, and the remainder of the first family is well and have tested negative.

The President disclosed in the early morning hours on Friday that he and the first lady had tested positive for coronavirus.

The development threw the country’s leadership in turmoil and lent new uncertainty to the unfolding presidential race.

Moments before news broke that Trump was heading to Walter Reed, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he was suspending negative advertising for the time being.

_____