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Doctor's Revelation: Trump Tests Negative for Novel Coronavirus


Sun 15 Mar 2020 | 07:47 PM
shawar ibrahim

US President Donald Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, the White House physician has said.

"This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative," Sean Conley said in a statement on Saturday.

Trump underwent a test days after hosting a meeting at his Florida resort with a Brazilian delegation, some of whom have tested positive for the novel virus.

Fabio Wajngarten, an aide to the Brazilian president, was among those later confirmed to have the disease. "One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the president remains symptom-free," Mr Conley said.

Trump (73) did not self-isolate after that meeting, saying he had no symptoms. But after a barrage of further questions during a news conference at the White House, he said he would get tested.

"He was checked on Friday," the White House physician said.

"I have been in daily contact with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and White House Coronavirus Task Force, and we are encouraging the implementation of all their best practices for exposure reduction and transmission mitigation," Mr Conley's statement said.

Official US advice is that people who have contact with a confirmed case should stay at home for 14 days.

The US currently revealed 2,700 confirmed cases, with 54 deaths. On Friday, President Trump declared a national state of emergency to release $50bn (£40bn) to fight the spread of the virus.