Donald Trump claims he is “immune” to COVID-19
Twitter flagged the president’s message declaring that he is now “immune” to the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump is claiming that he is Covid-free. The president took to Twitter on Sunday (Oct. 11) to declare that he had been cleared by his doctors at the White House after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, and says he is now “immune” to the virus.
“A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!,” the president tweeted to his more than 87 million followers, despite research indicating that reinfection is possible. According to the Associated Press, there is evidence that being reinfected with the virus is unlikely for at least three months even for people who had a mild case of COVID-19. It is rare that a person would have lifetime immunity to any disease.
The tweet violated the Twitter’s rules about “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.” The company flagged the message and added a warning, but it was not removed since they determined it “may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
Trump was given the OK to return to the campaign trail last week, and the president’s personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, confirmed on Saturday (Oct. 10) that he is no longer at risk of spreading the coronavirus. The doctor also said that Trump can return to public events in a memo addressed to press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, but didn’t say if the president has tested negative.
“This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning’s COVID PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognized standards, he is no longer a transmission risk to others,” Conley wrote. “Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever-free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved, the assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus.”
Prior to the tweet, Trump spoke about his health in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. “I have to tell you, I feel fantastically. I really feel good. And I even feel good by the fact that, you know, the word immunity means something—having really a protective glow means something,” he said. “I think it’s very important to have that, to have that is a very important thing.”
“Now you have a president who doesn’t have to hide in a basement like his opponent,” Trump added, taking aim at presidential hopeful Joe Biden. “You have a president who is immune, which is a big—I think, which is a very important thing, frankly.”
The president is expected to hold his first campaign rally since his diagnosis on Monday (Oct. 12) in Sanford, Florida. The virus has infected 7.7 million and killed more than 214,000 people in the United States.