Finally, Trump, Melania in COVID-19 Web

Americans awoke yesterday to the news of President Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania, testing positive to the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

Trump tested positive for the virus a week after he told Americans not to worry about COVID-19 because “it affects virtually nobody” except the elderly and those with heart conditions.

Trump, 74, and in a high-risk group, took to Twitter at about 1 a.m. ET, yesterday to announce his positive test news. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” he wrote.

The stunning development comes just one month before the U.S. presidential elections, scheduled to hold on November 3, where President Trump faces Democratic challenger Joe Biden, and after months of debilitating losses, set against a badly mismanaged federal response overseen by the Trump led administration that repeatedly downplayed the crisis.

Already troubled by the devastating health catastrophe and turbulent political season, the world super power faces fresh upheaval, as the country’s leadership is in deep national strain at the moment following the U.S. first family’s self-isolation.

According to reports, the development came after Hope Hicks, one of Trump’s closest aides, tested positive for the virus. White House official and U.S. Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said the president has ‘mild symptoms’ of coronavirus.

Corroborating Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, told reporters: “Trump is ‘in good spirits’ but is experiencing mild symptoms related to COVID-19 as of Friday morning. The President does have mild symptoms.” Meadows described Trump as “very energetic.”

“The great thing about this President is not only is he staying committed to working on behalf of the American people. We have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job, and I’m optimistic that he’ll have a very quick and speedy recovery,” he added.

Trump’s physician, Dr Sean Conley, had in a statement released late Thursday, said “the president and the first lady were both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.”

“Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments,” the statement said.

The optimistic outlook could hardly veil the pervading sense of destabilisation setting in as the country struggles to emerge from a generation-defining crisis just as the U.S. politics seems to deteriorate to new lows.

According to report, inside the White House, aides described a sense of panic as they worked to determine who else in the senior levels of government might have contracted the disease.

It is not clear how President Trump’s positive test will affect arrangements for the second presidential debate, which is scheduled for October 15 in Miami, Florida. But Dr Conley stated at the time that the president “remains healthy”

With the vocal president in isolation to quarantine for treatment, analysts say campaign rallies were off. His recurring message that the nation was “rounding the turn” in its handling of the virus has been undermined by the new development.

The U.S. president is not the first world leader to test positive for COVID-19. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro were infected. They both have since recovered, although Johnson had to receive regular oxygen treatment to help his breathing during hospitalisation.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a get-well-soon message to Trump and his wife. He also joined citizens of the U.S. in prayers for their quick and full recovery.

The Nigerian President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, yesterday, noted that the incident of COVID-19 in the White House manifests the challenge posed by the pandemic across the world and the difficulty in containing the spread.

While wishing the American First Family speedy turnaround in their current health status, President Buhari urged more compliance among Nigerians to protocols, and adherence to advice of medical doctors, particularly epidemiologists.