Summary

  • US President Donald Trump is discharged from the Walter Reed medical centre following three days of Covid treatment

  • His doctors say he is safe to return to the White House but "may not be entirely out of the woods yet"

  • In a tweet, he said we was feeling "really good", and added: "Don't be afraid of Covid"

  • Questions remain about the seriousness of the president's illness after conflicting statements

  • In the UK, a technical glitch which meant nearly 16,000 cases went unreported has caused delays to its track and trace system

  • UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he will "always balance the books" as coronavirus costs rise

  • All bars in the French capital Paris will shut from Tuesday as the city's coronavirus alert is raised to maximum

  • More than 35.1 million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed globally, with over one million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University

  1. That's all for nowpublished at 00:12 British Summer Time 6 October 2020

    Marine One with US President Donald Trump lands at the White HouseImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Marine One delivers US President Donald Trump to the White House

    We're pausing our live coverage for now.

    We'll be back in a few hours with more updates from the UK and around the world.

    Before we go, here's a recap of some of the key moments from the day's swift-moving events:

    • White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who has interacted with the media while not wearing a mask several times since Friday, announced that she had tested positive for the virus
    • Two other White House officials were also found to be infected, as well as a pastor who attended the White House event last month that is now thought to have infected several Republicans close to Trump
    • Trump announced moments before his doctors held a news conference that he would leave hospital later today
    • The president's doctors say he is on the road to recovery, and has not had a fever in 72 hours, has normal oxygen levels and is capable of continuing treatment from home
    • With less than a month until election day, questions remain about the president's campaign schedule. Trump's campaign is running attack ads against his rival, Joe Biden, but the Biden campaign is holding back due to Trump's current health condition

    We will continue to update our main story about President Trump's health and treatment here.

    And you can find more of our coronavirus coverage here.

    Thanks for reading.

  2. Trump gives thumbs-uppublished at 23:57 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-upImage source, Reuters

    President Trump raised a fist as left the military hospital, before walking to his vehicle and giving a thumbs-up. He was then driven to the Marine One helicopter to be transported to the White House.

  3. Trump departs hospitalpublished at 23:39 British Summer Time 5 October 2020
    Breaking

    Donald Trump leaves hospitalImage source, Reuters

    US President Donald Trump has left Walter Reed hospital, where he has been treated for Covid-19 over the last three days.

    He is now on his way back to the White House to continue his treatment there.

  4. Biden’s message to Trump: ‘Listen to scientists’published at 23:23 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Joe BidenImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Biden has called on Trump to "support masks"

    Now some reaction to President Trump’s condition from Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger in November’s presidential election.

    Biden has shown restraint since Trump’s diagnosis, toning down his political rhetoric and suspending adverts attacking the president.

    But tonight, Biden struck a more combative tone, signalling a change in the dynamic of the election campaign.

    "I was glad to see the president speaking and recording videos over the weekend,” Biden said at a rally in Little Havana in Miami on Monday.

    “Now that he's busy tweeting campaign messages, I would ask him to do this: Listen to the scientists, support masks.”

    President Trump has eschewed face masks in the past and mocked Biden for wearing one in the first presidential debate.

  5. Ivanka Trump thanks hospital staffpublished at 23:10 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    With Trump getting ready to leave Walter Reed Medical Center tonight, his daughter Ivanka has tweeted her thanks to the hospital's staff.

    Trump tweeted earlier that he would be discharged from hospital at about 18:30 local time - 23:30 BST.

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  6. Trump says ‘don’t be afraid of Covid’ - but many arepublished at 22:57 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    BBC graphic of US deaths and cases

    In a tweet announcing his imminent departure from hospital, external, President Trump played down the threat of Covid-19, as he has done throughout the pandemic.

    “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life,” he wrote after receiving four days of round-the-clock medical care for the virus.

    However 209,000 Americans have died of the virus so far. Covid-19 treatments are improving and becoming more readily available, but the risk of death remains, especially in the US, where measures to contain the virus have been patchy.

    Since the beginning of April, there have been hundreds - sometimes thousands - of daily coronavirus deaths in the US, World Health Organization figures show, external.

    At 64.10 per 100,000 people, the Covid-19 death rate in the US is the 10th-highest in the world, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University, external.

    BBC graphic showing where cases are high in the US
  7. Trump's Covid handling 'destructive and dangerous', says Pelosipublished at 22:41 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    US House Speaker Nancy PelosiImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Nancy Pelosi has been a vocal critic of the president's handling of the pandemic

    We have just heard from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking elected Democrat. She told MSNBC: "[Trump] should not be dealing with it politically to make it look like he overcame the virus because he's had such good policies. Because in fact, he has been very destructive and dangerous to the country."

    Hours earlier, the president tweeted he would be discharged from hospital, saying: "Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge."

    Pelosi also said the White House's testing protocol for Covid-19 "apparently...doesn't work".

  8. Who is Trump's physician?published at 22:26 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Dr Sean ConleyImage source, Getty Images

    Since President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, his personal physician Dr Conley has been thrust into the spotlight.

    Conley has given daily briefings since on the president's condition since Saturday. But what do we know about the White House physician?

    The 40-year-old has been in the position since March 2018. Like most medical staff at the White House, Conley is a military officer.

    Conley is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2002 before studying at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He received his degree in 2006.

    After further courses, Conley served with a Nato medical unit in Afghanistan. He received a Romanian Emblem of Honour for saving a Romanian soldier wounded by a homemade explosive device.

    The US Navy officer was later assigned to the White House Medical Unit. He then became Trump's acting personal doctor when the president nominated his then-physician, Dr Ronny Jackson, to head the US Department of Veteran Affairs.

    Read more about Conley here

  9. Ex-lawyer Michael Cohen slams Trumppublished at 22:11 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Cohen testified to Congress in 2019Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Cohen testified to Congress in 2019

    Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has sharply criticised his ex-boss for visiting supporters during his hospital stay while being treated for coronavirus.

    "He’s potentially infecting these people. And he doesn’t care, because again, Donald Trump doesn't care about anyone other than himself," Cohen tells BBC World, adding that the Secret Service agents who rode in the heavily fortified car with him are now at higher risk of infection.

    "They vow to take a bullet for him, as I once did," Cohen says, referring to probably his most famous quote from back when he was still a Trump loyalist.

    "I would have taken a bullet for him but not if he’s the one pulling the trigger," he added.

    "This is absolutely ridiculous and I do not understand what the man was thinking... But Donald Trump is an uncaged animal.

    "He thinks he's completely autonomous. He’s not going to answer to anyone."

  10. White House outbreak casts shadow over vice-presidential debatepublished at 21:54 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Senator Kamala HarrisImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The debate will take place in Salt Lake City in Utah on Wednesday

    On Wednesday night, Republican Vice-President Mike Pence will face Democratic Senator Kamala Harris for the only vice-presidential debate ahead of November's election.

    This election cycle has seen increased scrutiny on Pence and Harris, as they support the campaign of two presidential candidates in their 70s.

    With President Trump now receiving treatment for Covid-19, and more members of the White House announcing positive virus tests, there’s a new emphasis on precautions from event organisers.

    For one, the vice-presidential candidates will stand more than 3m (9.8ft) apart (podiums at the first Trump-Biden debate last week were 2m apart). They will be separated by plexiglass, CNN reports.

    Covid testing is already under way for reporters and others planning on attending the debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    Whether everyone will be required to wear a mask this time remains to be seen.

    Now, we want to know: What questions do you have about the vice-presidential debate? You tell us here and we’ll get to work finding the answers.

  11. Trump doctor: 'He's back'published at 21:38 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Media caption,

    Trump's health team at Walter Reed say he is ready to leave

    White House physician Sean Conley said the president's health team was "cautiously optimistic" about his recovery.

    Less than an hour before Monday's briefing by doctors, Trump tweeted that he planned to leave hospital before the end of the day.

    Trump doctor: 'He's back'

    White House physician Sean Conley said the team was 'cautiously optimistic' about the president's recovery.

    Read More
  12. Doctor on Trump: A 'phenomenal' patientpublished at 21:26 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Dr Conley briefs reporters, 5 OctoberImage source, EPA

    A little bit more now on what Dr Conley said at the briefing. He said Trump was a "phenomenal patient" during his four-day stay at the Walter Reed military hospital.

    "He has never once pushed us to do anything that was beyond safe and reasonable practice," he said.

    When commenting on the president's recent video and tweets, he said: "He's back!"

    But Dr Conley did not answer questions about the findings of scans of the president's lungs, which can be affected by the virus, citing rules and regulations about the sharing of information.

    He also said there was no evidence of "live virus still present" that Trump could transmit to others.

  13. A timeline of Trump’s virus illness so farpublished at 21:17 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Sean Conley addresses reportersImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Dr Conley said Trump “continued to improve”

    After four days in hospital, President Trump has been cleared to return to the White House, with his physician deeming it “safe” to discharge him.

    Here’s a timeline of some of the key moments in Trump’s illness so far:

    Friday:

    • In a tweet just before 01:00 (05:00 GMT), the president announced he and his wife Melania had tested positive for Covid-19
    • White House physician Dr Sean Conley said the president "was doing well with only mild symptoms”
    • Trump was given supplemental oxygen after his blood-oxygen saturation level dropped
    • The president was moved to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington

    Saturday:

    • Trump’s blood-oxygen saturation level dipped again, prompting doctors to give him another round of supplementary oxygen
    • Trump was given the steroid dexamethasone, which is normally reserved for serious cases of Covid-19, according to medical experts
    • The president said he was “starting to feel good” in a tweeted video message from hospital

    Sunday:

    • Trump’s medical team said the president remained without a fever and could possibly be discharged from hospital on Monday
    • In a video posted to Twitter, Trump said he had “learned a lot" about Covid-19 and now understood it better
    • Trump briefly left the hospital with Secret Service agents for a drive-by visit of supporters in his presidential car

    Monday:

    • Trump tweeted that he would be leaving hospital at 18:30, writing: “I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”
    • Dr Conley said the president had improved enough for him to leave hospital and return to the White House
    • The doctor stressed that Trump will continue to receive “world-class, 24/7” medical care at the White House, but “may not be entirely out of the woods yet”

    Read more: Who Trump met and who's tested positive

  14. Trump doctors' briefing: A recappublished at 21:09 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Here's a recap of what the doctors treating the president said at their briefing moments ago:

    • Dr Sean Conley, the White House physician, said the president continued to improve in the last 24 hours, having met all "standard hospital discharge criteria"
    • The president has been without a fever for more than 72 hours and his oxygen levels are "all normal", he added
    • Conley also said that though Trump "may not entirely be out of the woods yet" the president is safe to return to the White House, where he will be "surrounded by world-class medical care 24/7"
    • He declined to answer a question about Trump's last negative test, which could help explain when and where the president might have contracted the virus and how many people around him could have been exposed
    • The doctor also said: "We all remain cautiously optimistic and on guard because we're in a bit on uncharted territory when it comes to a patient that received the therapy he has so early in the course.... If we can get through to Monday with he remaining the same or improving, better yet, then we'll all take that final deep sigh of relief"
    • Dr Brian Garibaldi said the president would receive another dose of antiviral medication remdesivir before being discharged, with the fifth and final dose scheduled for Tuesday
    • He also said that Trump continued on a steroid called dexamethasone, normally reserved for serious cases of Covid-19
  15. Gloves off as Trump campaign runs attack adspublished at 21:01 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Trump's campaign ran a series of attack ads against his Democratic rival Joe Biden on Monday. This is despite the fact that the Biden team removed attack ads after Trump went into hospital last week.

    The move puts the Democrats in a difficult position.

    The Biden campaign press secretary has already said it is "inappropriate to use the president's illness to score political points".

    Read more here.

  16. Trump 'is back', say doctors but questions remainpublished at 20:55 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America reporter

    Donald Trump is going “home”.

    Of course, in this case, home is a secure government compound with top-notch medical facilities. Still, the decision that the president can return to the White House is being hailed by him and his medical team as an important indication of his improving condition.

    “He’s back,” White House physician Sean Conley said during his Monday afternoon briefing.

    Conley and his fellow physicians shared positive details about the president’s condition - a lack of fever, good blood-oxygen levels and “no respiratory complaints”. But he once again refused to disclose when the president last tested negative for the coronavirus – information that would help determine if Trump exposed anyone else to the virus.

    And when pressed for more details on the president’s condition, such as evidence of longer-term damage to the his lungs, Conley cited patient privacy.

    This patient is the president of the United States, however, and Americans may demand more details about his long-term health and prognosis, particularly as they head to the polls in a month to decide whether to give him another four-year term in office.

  17. Which of Trump's contacts has tested positive?published at 20:47 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    A graphic showing contacts of Trump who have tested positive

    Trump's coronavirus diagnosis came after a busy week running his administration and campaigning for November's election.

    This followed a positive test for his close aide,Hope Hicks, who reportedly started feeling symptoms on Wednesday.

    Since the president's diagnosis, several people close to him have tested positive too, including his press secretary.

    So far the majority of publicly released results have been negative. However, test accuracy can vary depending on when a sample is taken during the course of the illness. One taken very soon after exposure may not give an accurate result.

    The White House says it has begun contact tracing. We have had a closer look at some of the people we know Mr Trump has crossed paths with during the last week - starting with an event that is being investigated as a possible "super-spreader".

    A BBC graphic of the Rose Garden event and its attendees
    Image caption,

    President Trump announced his Supreme Court pick, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, in front of a crowd of about 200 people on the White House lawn on 26 September

    Read more here.

  18. What treatment has President Trump been taking?published at 20:35 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    James Gallagher
    Health and science correspondent, BBC News

    Since testing positive for coronavirus, US President Donald Trump has been receiving a number of different drugs, as revealed by his doctors.

    It is unclear when the president contracted the virus, but there are two broad phases of a coronavirus infection - the first where the virus is the problem and the second, deadly phase, when our immune system goes into overdrive and starts causing massive collateral damage to other organs.

    Treatments fall into two camps - those that directly attack the virus and are more likely to be useful in the first phase and drugs to calm the immune system which are more likely to work in the second.

    So what drugs are being used and what do they tell us about his condition?

    Read more about his treatment here.

  19. Doctors' briefing endspublished at 20:29 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    The doctors' briefing has now ended, with the president saying he expects to leave hospital at 18:30 Eastern time (22:30 GMT).

    Stay with us as we bring you more details about what the doctors said and analysis.

  20. Trump given extra oxygen twice, doctor sayspublished at 20:28 British Summer Time 5 October 2020

    Dr Conley on Mo9ndayImage source, Reuters

    Dr Conley has also revealed that the president was given extra oxygen twice after experiencing a drop in oxygen levels.

    On Sunday, the doctor had confirmed that the president had been given supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House, hours before he was flown to the hospital.

    But he did not say whether the president had been given oxygen after his levels dropped again on Saturday.

    The doctor also said that the president appeared to be a little dehydrated on Friday, when he had a high fever.