WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump drove past supporters on Sunday (Oct 4) outside the hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19, after announcing on Twitter a "surprise visit" to his backers.
Seen in a dark face mask, waving to crowds, the president's motorcade rolled past before returning to the Walter Reed military hospital near Washington.
"We're going to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots that we have out on the street," Trump said in a video posted to Twitter shortly before his appearance.
"I'm about to make a little surprise visit."
Trump also said he "learned a lot about COVID" by "really going to school," as he has battled the virus in hospital.
"This is the real school. This isn't the 'let's read the books school,' and I get it, and I understand it, and it's a very interesting thing," he added.
Trump's doctors said on Sunday that he has "continued to improve," adding that he could be discharged as early as Monday.
While ordinary members of the public would only be sent home after recovering, Trump can take full advantage of the extensive White House medical facilities, which can match those in a hospital in many areas of treatment.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's condition is improving as he is being treated for COVID-19 at a military hospital, and he could return to the White House as early as Monday (Oct 5), where his treatment would continue, the doctors leading his treatment said on Sunday.
Doctors provided Trump supplemental oxygen twice during his battle with the lung disease, on Thursday and Friday, and have also given him dexamethasone, they told reporters the day after a series of contradictory messages from the White House caused widespread confusion about Trump's condition.
Dexamethasone is shown in studies to improve survival for patients hospitalised with critical COVID-19 who need extra oxygen. But it should not be given in mild cases since it can limit the body's own ability to combat the virus, according to guidelines from the Infectious Disease Society of America.
"The fact of the matter is that he's doing really well," Dr Sean P Conley told reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump has been receiving treatment since Friday.
US President Donald Trump disembarks from the Marine One helicopter followed by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as he arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct 2, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)
Doctors said Trump has not run a fever since Friday and that his liver and kidney function remained normal after the second dose in a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.
Dr Brian Garibaldi said Trump was given dexamethasone in response to "transient low oxygen levels".
"He received his first dose of that yesterday and our plan is to continue that for the time being," Garibaldi said.
Trump is also being given an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2, as well as zinc, Vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, his doctors have said.
Trump released a four-minute video on Saturday in which he said the "real test" of his condition will come over the next few days.
"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," Trump said into the camera, looking tired and wearing a jacket and open-necked shirt.
US President Donald Trump, who is being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a military hospital outside Washington, speaks from his hospital room, in this still image taken from a video supplied by the White House, Oct 3, 2020. (Photo: The White House/Handout via REUTERS)
Trump's illness has upended the campaign ahead of the November presidential election and cast a spotlight on the president's handling of the pandemic. The Republican president is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sunday found that Biden had opened a 10 point lead over Trump nationally, slightly wider than it has been for the past two months.
Some 65 per cent of Americans said Trump likely would not have been infected had he taken the virus more seriously - a view that half of registered Republicans polled supported. Some 55 per cent said they did not believe Trump had been telling the truth about the virus.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump take part in a car parade in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct 3, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Megan Jelinger)
Trump has repeatedly played down the threat of the pandemic, even as it has killed more than 208,000 Americans and hammered the US economy.
'UPBEAT ATTITUDE OF THE TEAM'
Differing assessments of Trump's health from administration officials on Saturday left it unclear how ill the president had become since he tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday night.
A White House team of doctors said on Saturday morning Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House.
Within minutes, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less rosy assessment, saying, "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."
Supporters rally at a vigil for US President Donald Trump outside of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he is being treated for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct 3, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Meadows, whose initial comments were delivered on condition that he not be identified, altered his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was doing "very well" and that "doctors are very pleased with his vital signs."
In an interview with Fox News broadcast Saturday night, Meadows revealed that Trump's condition on Friday was far worse than officials had made public, saying doctors recommended the president go to the hospital after seeing he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.
Conley commented on the contradictory assessments on Sunday.
"I was trying to reflect an upbeat attitude of the team and the president about the course his illness has had," Conley told reporters on Sunday. "I didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction and in doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which isn't necessarily true."
'AGGRESSIVE' CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
Trump's campaign vowed that Vice President Mike Pence, who would assume the presidency if Trump were unable to carry out his duties, would have an "aggressive" campaign schedule this week, as would Trump's three oldest children.
"We can't stay in our basement or shut down the economy indefinitely. We have to take it head-on," Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
With Trump off the campaign trail indefinitely, his campaign announced "Operation MAGA," based on his slogan "Make America Great Again," which will see high-profile allies including Pence and Trump's elder sons, Donald Jr and Eric, take over in-person campaigning this week.
Pence, who tested negative on Friday, is scheduled to debate Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday.
Biden, who largely avoided direct criticism of Trump during a campaign trip to Michigan on Friday, took a more aggressive tone on Saturday while speaking to a transit workers' union, even as he wished the president well.
"I'm in a little bit of a spot here, because I don't want to be attacking the president and the first lady now," Biden said, adding he hoped Trump and his wife Melania, who also has the illness, make a full recovery.
But he quickly turned to Trump's response to the pandemic, calling it "unconscionable" and blasting Trump's comment in an interview this summer that "it is what it is" when asked about the death toll.
Supporters stand for a vigil for US President Donald Trump outside of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump is being treated for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct 3, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Biden, who tested negative on Friday, told reporters he would next be tested on Sunday. His campaign will begin releasing the results of each test, a spokesman said.
A number of other prominent Republicans have also tested positive for coronavirus since Trump's announcement, including Republican senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Democrat Joe Biden opened his widest lead in a month in the United States presidential race after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, and a majority of Americans think Trump could have avoided infection if he had taken the virus more seriously, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday (Oct 4).
The Oct 2-3 national opinion poll gave little indication of an outpouring of support for the President beyond Mr Trump's core group of followers, some of whom have gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, where he has been hospitalised.
Among those adults who are expected to cast ballots in the Nov 3 election, the poll found that 51 per cent were backing Mr Biden, while 41 per cent said they were voting for Mr Trump. Another 4 per cent were choosing a third-party candidate and another 4 per cent said they were undecided.
Mr Biden's 10-point edge over Mr Trump is one to two points higher than leads Mr Biden posted over the past several weeks, though the increase is still within the poll's precision limits of plus or minus five percentage points.
With about a month to go before the election, Mr Biden has maintained an early advantage in securing the national popular vote. But to win the presidency, a candidate must prevail in enough states to win the Electoral College, and state polls show that Mr Trump is nearly as popular as Mr Biden in battleground states.
Mr Trump, 74, was transferred to Walter Reed on Friday, hours after tweeting that he was diagnosed with Covid-19. The announcement set off a dizzying split-screen experience for many: As media alerts lit up cellphones and television screens about Mr Trump feeling feverish and needing oxygen, several other Republican leaders who had been in close proximity with the President announced that they, too, had tested positive.
Most Americans continue to be deeply worried about the virus, and the poll found that 65 per cent, including nine in 10 registered Democrats and five in 10 registered Republicans, agreed that "if President Trump had taken coronavirus more seriously, he probably would not have been infected".
Only 34 per cent said they thought that Mr Trump has been telling them the truth about the coronavirus, while 55 per cent said that he was not and 11 per cent were unsure.
Of those polled, 57 per cent of Americans said they disapproved of Mr Trump's response to the Covid-19 pandemic overall, up about three points from a poll that ran late last week.
Americans also appear to be largely supportive of curtailing the 2020 presidential race to ensure everyone's safety.
Sixty-seven per cent of Americans want to stop in-person campaign rallies and 59 per cent think the presidential debates should be postponed until Mr Trump recovers from the coronavirus.
It is unclear at this point how Mr Trump's diagnosis will impact the next presidential debate, which is scheduled for Oct 15. The first vice-presidential debate between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Mike Pence is scheduled for Thursday.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 1,005 US adults, including 596 likely voters.
Only about 61 per cent of voting-age Americans actually voted in the 2016 election.
BANGKOK: Interpol has issued a "red notice" to arrest the fugitive Thai heir to the Red Bull billions for his role in a fatal hit-and-run, police said Sunday (Oct 4).
The move by the international police organisation is the latest in the years-long saga surrounding Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya who crashed his Ferrari in 2012, killing a police officer.
The charges against Vorayuth, who is the grandson of Red Bull's co-founder, were dropped in July - sparking public outrage from Thais who saw it as an example of impunity enjoyed by the kingdom's elite.
It spurred probes by various government agencies, including the Attorney General's Office which last month announced fresh charges against Vorayuth of reckless driving causing death and cocaine use.
National Police spokesman Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen confirmed Sunday a red notice - Interpol's most urgent alert - was issued earlier this week.
"After we received the confirmation, we then passed our request to 194 member countries asking for assistance from them," he told AFP.
"We have to do whatever it takes to ... ultimately bring him back to the country because it is a serious crime."
A red notice for Vorayuth had not been published on the Interpol website as of Sunday afternoon.
The fugitive heir fled the country back in 2017 on a private jet.
After charges against him were dropped in July, a probe conducted by Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha's office concluded the entire investigation had been "compromised".
The public outcry over Vorayuth came at a particularly tense period for the government, coinciding with near-daily protests across Thailand led by student leaders calling for General Prayut's resignation.
Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of Red Bull's logo to symbolise their anger at the military-aligned government, which enjoys close alliances with the kingdom's billionaire families.
The clan of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya is Thailand's second richest, boasting a fortune estimated at US$20.2 billion according to Forbes.
WASHINGTON: News of President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis has upended the United States presidential election campaign entering its final month and roiled stock markets, raising questions about succession and prompting White House aides to insist that Trump would keep a busy, if modified, schedule.
Trump's diagnosis was announced on early Friday (Oct 2) morning, but a close adviser to the president tested positive a day before. Over the weekend, more prominent Republicans have been added to the list of those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
WHO IN TRUMP'S CIRCLE HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19?
Hope Hicks, a close adviser to the president who often travelled with him on the Air Force One and Marine One presidential aircraft, tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus on Thursday.
After Trump tweeted he and his wife, Melania, tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who has had frequent contact with Trump, said she tested positive for the virus and was quarantined at home in Michigan.
This combination of file pictures created on Oct 3, 2020 shows (L-R, top to bottom) US President Donald Trump, US First Lady Melania Trump, former communications director Hope Hicks, US Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, US Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, US Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien. As of Oct 3, 2020, all nine have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two days. (Photos: VLADIMIR SIMICEK, Mandel NGAN, Saul LOEB, Brendan SMIALOWSKI, Eric BARADAT, Ozan KOSE, Olivier DOULIERY / AFP)
Other prominent Republicans who have also said they tested positive for COVID-19 since Trump's announcement include: Republican Senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, 42-year-old Bill Stepien and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
Christie said he checked himself in to a hospital on Saturday as a precaution due to his asthma, though he said he had only mild symptoms.
Trump and some other Republicans have eschewed social distancing, mask wearing and other protocols health officials recommend to stop the spread of the virus.
In an update from Trump on Saturday, he said in a video from his hospital room that he felt "much better" and hoped to be "back soon". But this came after a day of contradictory messages from the White House about his condition following his COVID-19 diagnosis.
U.S. President Trump walka to the Marine One helicopter as he departs for Walter Reed Medical Center from the White House in Washington
A White House team of doctors said on Saturday morning that Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Trump had told them that he "could walk out of here today".
"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," he said.
Meadows, whose initial comments were delivered on condition that he not be identified, altered his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was doing "very well" and that doctors were "very pleased with his vital signs".
Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments.
In recent months, other White House and Trump campaign personnel who have tested positive for COVID-19:
- US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien in late July. Before Trump's infection, O'Brien was the highest-ranking administration official to test positive for the virus. O'Brien had mild COVID symptoms and returned to work on Aug 4.
- Katie Miller, spokeswoman to Mike Pence, wife of Stephen Miller, a Trump senior adviser, in early May, forcing Pence to slightly delay a Pence trip to Iowa.
- Kimberly Guilfoyle, senior adviser to Trump campaign and girlfriend to Donald Trump Jr.
- Tom Phillipson, the former acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers in early June. He told the Wall Street Journal of his infection after recovering and leaving the White House in late June
- A member of the US Navy who served as a personal valet to Trump tested positive in early May. The infection prompted daily tests for those working at the White House.
- A US Marine assigned to Trump's helicopter squadron tested positive for the coronavirus in late July. The squadron transports Trump and other top officials from the White House aboard the Marine One helicopter.
- A worker in a White House complex cafeteria tested positive in late July. The cafeteria is located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where some White House officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, have offices.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Saturday (Oct 4) Donald Trump's health, including a fall in his blood oxygen level, had left the president's doctors "very concerned" but that he had improved and there was never a risk he would have to hand over power.
Trump received a single dose of Regeneron's antibody cocktail, according to a letter issued by White House physician Sean Conley AFP/JIM WATSON
(Updated: )
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WASHINGTON: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Saturday (Oct 3) Donald Trump's health, including a fall in his blood oxygen level, had left the president's doctors "very concerned" but that he had improved and there was never a risk he would have to hand over power.
Meadows' comments to Fox News capped a day of back-and-forth in which conflicting reports about the president's health following his COVID-19 diagnosis created an opaque understanding of the leader's actual fitness.
"He's made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning, when I know a number of us, the doctor and I, were very concerned," Meadows said.
Earlier in the day a source familiar with the president's health - later named in US media as none other than Meadows - had given a contradictory assessment stating that "the president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning."
The statement also seemed at odds with an assessment by White House doctors that the president was "doing very well".
Meadows seemed to clarify late Saturday that comments pertaining to poor health had applied to the day prior.
"Yesterday morning, we were real concerned ... He had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly," Meadows told Fox.
However, "there was never a consideration and never even a risk of a transition of power", Meadows said.
Late Saturday, White House doctor Sean Conley said Trump was "not yet out of the woods", but that the medical team was "cautiously optimistic."
Meadows echoed a similar sentiment stating that he was "very, very optimistic, based on the current results".
The president posted a video to Twitter late Saturday appearing relaxed in an open-collar shirt and blue suit jacket, telling viewers he would be "back soon" - but acknowledging that the crucial coming days would be "the real test."
Clips typically show her foraging in the mountains, cooking and lipsyncing to songs dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing, reported AFP.
The incident on Sept 14 triggered outrage across social media on the issue of domestic violence.
Followers of her livestream account said they saw the screen go black before hearing screams.
Beijing Youth Daily reported that Lamu’s ex-husband allegedly broke into her house and held her down with a knife, before pouring gasoline over her body.
The man, surnamed Tang, was said to be angry after Lamu initiated a divorce for the second time and had a history of domestic violence. The couple have two sons.
Lamu suffered burns to 90 per cent of her body, with netizens raising about one million yuan (S$200,900) for the family following the attack.
In Lamu’s last video posted on the day of the attack, she was seen performing a traditional Tibetan song to thank her fans.
