Covid 19 coronavirus: Donald Trump's doctor gives briefing, declines to reveal scan results

US President Donald Trump. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump's doctor, Navy Commander Sean Conley, has delivered an upbeat afternoon briefing on Monday (US time) and said the president could resume his normal schedule once "there is no evidence of live virus still present".

But he also cautioned that it was "uncharted territory" having a patient receive such aggressive medication so early in the course of the disease, and he said Trump would not be fully out of the woods for another week.

Dr Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, talks with reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. Photo / AP

Conley repeatedly declined to share results of medical scans of Trump's lungs, saying he was not at liberty to discuss the information because Trump did not waive doctor-patient confidentiality on the subject.

Trump revealed earlier in the day that he is leaving the military hospital where he has been treated for Covid-19 and will continue his recovery at the White House. He said he's feeling good and the nation should not be afraid of the virus that has killed more than 209,000 Americans.

Trump's expected return comes as the scale of the outbreak within the White House itself is still being uncovered. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced she had tested positive for the virus on Monday morning and was entering quarantine.

"I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6.30pm," Trump tweeted. "Feeling really good! Don't be afraid of Covid ... I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"

Trump's nonchalant message about not fearing the virus comes as his own administration has encouraged Americans to be very careful and take precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the disease as cases continue to spike across the country. For more than eight months, Trump's efforts to play down the threat of the virus in hopes of propping up the economy ahead of the election have drawn bipartisan criticism.

Only a day earlier, Trump suggested he had finally grasped the true nature of the virus, saying in a video, "I get it."

It was unclear how long Trump would remain in isolation at the White House. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those with mild to moderate symptoms can be contagious for as many — and should isolate for at least — 10 days.

- AP