President Donald Trump announced early on Friday morning that he and the First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. He tweeted just hours earlier that Hope Hicks, a public relations executive and political advisor serving for the President tested positive, and that the First Lady and himself were awaiting their own results. Hicks attended the Minnesota rally with the President and has been in his close circle, so her positive test result was cause for alarm for the White House.

The day following the news of his positive results, Trump announced that under the advice of the White House Physician Sean Conley, that he would be flown to Walter Reed, a military hospital in Washington, District of Columbia. Here he will be hospitalized and monitored over the course of the next few days. Trump, 16 hours after first declaring his positive test, boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, with the first lady, neither of which showed any visible symptoms of the illness. Conley, when asked why the decision was made to fly Trump to the Walter Reed Hospital, he replied, “Because he’s the President of the United States.”

“I’m glad the decision was made to fly Trump to Walter Reed hospital. It’s important to take precautions especially for the president of the United States, even if he felt fine when they took him there,” sophomore Maria Montelongo said.

President Trump was administered a promising Gilead Sciences medication called Remdesivir. Gilead is a publicly-traded research-based biopharmaceutical company. This antiviral has been shown to slow the spread of the virus within the body and helps reduce the amount of time a patient stays in the hospital. Gilead received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration back in May. Trump is also taking Zinc, Vitamin D, an acid reducer, melatonin, and aspirin.

Conley stated that Trump was not on supplemental oxygen as needed in more severe cases of the virus, but suggested he might have been on it Friday evening when the President had a ‘small fever’. President Trump has tweeted out two videos since his stay in the hospital, one of which he expressed his gratitude for “the overwhelming support he has received from the American people.” Former President Obama tweeted out a reminder to the nation to support the President, saying “We’re all Americans. We’re all human beings.”

“I think that the president getting Coronavirus is a heavy blow to our nation. But just like in past times, we will pull through stronger than ever in hopes of Trump having a speedy recovery and to have him back in the White House where he can continue to lead our nation through these troubling times,” sophomore Ralph Sans said.

Many others who have been near the President or attended the same events as him have also tested positive for the Coronavirus. Republican Senators like Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, and Tom Tillis of North Carolina. This also has its implications on the hearing and possible confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barret, threatening the quick confirmation of the judge that was hoped for by the Republican Party. Trump and the Senators have, however, been “doing very well” according to their respective physicians.

Sean Conley, in a press briefing on the state of the President, said he is ‘exceptionally well’ and is fever-free, however, they will be watching him closely over the next few days. These first few days help indicate the course of the virus and are a critical period in determining the future health of the President. Doctors suggested Sunday, Oct.4, however, that President Trump may return to the White House as early ‘as early as tomorrow’ if his condition continues to improve.

As of now, the dates of the remaining presidential debates have not been altered, but it is still unclear whether they will occur. If President Trump is cleared before this date and tests negative, the debates can happen as planned, but other options have been considered, such as hosting them virtually. Trump’s campaign has also been temporarily taken over by Mike Pence in order to continue having rallies and events. The Democratic Nominee, Joe Biden tweeted, “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family” in response to the news of the President’s positive results.

It is to be seen whether the President’s illness will greatly impact the course of his campaign. What this case would mean for his chances of winning the upcoming election is a question that is still up in the air. With less than 30 days till election night, time will tell how this recent COVID-19 incident will affect the elections.

[powr-twitter-feed id=bf12d7e8_1601942240233]