President Donald Trump said he feels “perfect” on Thursday, about one week after his initial coronavirus diagnosis, adding that he will resume campaign rallies since his doctor said he has ”completed his course of therapy.”
White House physician Dr. Sean Conley wrote in a memo Thursday that Trump could safely “return to public engagements” on Saturday, despite not quite meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations that quarantine can end 10 days after the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms, which was Oct. 10 for Trump.
The president indicated in a Fox News interview Thursday that he might resume hosting rallies, but quickly canceled those plans. Trump has since said he will hold a rally in central Florida on Monday.
“I’m feeling good. Really good. I think perfect,” Trump said during the telephone interview. He later added: “I don’t think I’m contagious at all.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said two negative PCR lab tests 24 hours apart are an almost certain indication someone is no longer contagious.
“So, if the president goes 10 days without symptoms, and they do the tests that we were talking about, then you could make the assumption, based on good science, that he is not infected,” Fauci said Thursday on MSNBC.
However, the White House has not stated when the president’s last negative test was, citing health privacy concerns.
