Trump Can Return to Public Engagements by Weekend, White House Doctor Says

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Oct 08, 2020 11:28 PM EDT

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House after being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Washington

(Photo : REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump poses atop the Truman Balcony of the White House after taking off his protective face mask as he returns to the White House after being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment, in Washington, U.S. October 5, 2020.

President Donald Trump can return to public engagements by Saturday, said White House physician Dr. Sean Conley.

In a White House memo, Conley said Trump had completed his course of therapy for COVID-19.

Conley said that "based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting," he believes that Trump can have a "safe return" to public engagements by weekend.

By Saturday, Trump already had 10 days since getting his diagnosis and can return to his usual schedule of public engagements.

The White House doctor added that the president remained stable since his return to the White House.

Trump did not experience "adverse therapeutic effects" to his treatments, a FOX News report said. It meant the president's illness was not progressing.

Trump stayed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three days and responded well to treatment, said Conley.

As per CDC guidelines, a patient with COVID-19 had to be in quarantine for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms. In Trump's case, the day his first symptoms appeared was on Thursday last week.

New York Times noted that some more severe cases might need to be in quarantine for 20 days or longer. Infected patients also have to see improvements and have gone 24 hours "with no fever without the fever-reducing medications."

Jumping Back to the Campaign

Trump's illness forced him to walk away from his campaign trail temporarily. He was eager to jump back in and make his name ring better for the coming November 3 polls, insisting he was doing better with the disease, said Al Jazeera.

In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said he wanted to do a rally on Thursday night. "I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night," he noted.

He knew people would have safety concerns during the said "rally," so he added that he would stand by himself and very far away from everybody if it were to materialize.

White House Outbreak

Several White House aides and other White House contacts have already been reported with the virus. As of the last official count, there were 34 cases linked to the White House outbreak.

People in Trump's close circle have also tested positive for the virus, like former adviser Kellyanne Conway.

One of the most recent known White House cases is Stephen Miller, who announced his positive diagnosis on Tuesday. Several other people who attended some events with Trump in the past weeks are also awaiting COVID-19 test results.

Trump's aides are working towards satisfying the president's desire to get back to his campaign.

An aide did not elaborate but said a "rally" might be unlikely for the president, but an "event" will be done, said a USA Today report.

Trump to Visit Pennsylvania

According to Pittsburgh's Action News 4, Trump plans to have a visit to Allegheny County on Monday. They confirmed notification of the visit but said they did not receive any specific details.

On Wednesday, there were also reports of Trump planning a Pittsburgh visit next week. These events may be the first of Trump's public engagements since being COVID-stricken.