White House doctors have detected COVID-19 antibodies in President Donald Trump, White House Physician Sean Conley announced Wednesday.
Conley says there were no detectable levels of antibodies in the president’s labs taken last Thursday, but tests taken Monday have revealed them. Antibodies are a central means by which the human body’s immune system fends off diseases like coronavirus. Conley also mentioned that Trump has been fever-free for four days and symptom free for more than 24 hours.
A Wednesday update from President @realDonaldTrump’s physician: pic.twitter.com/IEn3Clv9yg
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 7, 2020
Trump announced Tuesday on Twitter that he feels ready and willing to debate Vice President Joe Biden on October 15 in Miami, Florida. CDC guidelines recommend COVID patients quarantine for 15-days after exposure. Trump first announced he tested positive for the disease at 1 a.m. on October 1, putting the debate against Biden on the threshold.
Biden, however, has said he doesn’t think there should be a second debate if Trump is positive for coronavirus at the time. (RELATED: The Vice Presidential Debate May Be More Important Than The 1st Presidential Debate)
“I think if he still has COVID, then we shouldn’t have a debate,” Biden said while boarding a plane back to Delaware, according to the Associated Press.
Several top-level members of Trump’s staff has also tested positive for the disease in recent days, including Senior Advisor Stephen Miller and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and Barron Trump have all tested negative, however.
The coronavirus scare at the White House has become a point of contention between the Trump-Pence campaign and the Biden-Harris campaign ahead of the vice presidential debate Wednesday evening. The Biden campaign insisted on placing plexiglass dividers between the two candidates. Medical experts say the measure does little to protect from exposure, however.