US President Donald Trump was moved to a military hospital just outside Washington, where he will spend the coming days, to undergo treatment for Covid-19, but will continue to work, the White House said tonight.
Mr Trump, 74, has been moved to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days.
"At the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the president will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for the virus and is in quarantine.
The helicopter carrying Mr Trump has landed at the facility. The president, who walked to the helicopter as he left the White House, said nothing to waiting reporters.
Before he left the White House, Mr Trump posted a video message on his Twitter account, in his first public comments since testing positive for Covid-19.
Mr Trump said he believes he is "doing very well," since announcing the news.
He said: "I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I am going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I am doing very well. But we are going to make sure that things work out."
He added: "The First Lady is doing very well."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
Earlier, Mr Trump's doctor said he is receiving an experimental treatment of synthetic antibodies for Covid-19 and is "fatigued but in good spirits".
Mr Trump received a single dose of Regeneron's antibody cocktail, according to a letter issued by White House physician Sean Conley.
The treatment is undergoing clinical trials but has not received any form of regulatory approval.
We're outside the @WhiteHouse where the president's helicopter Marine One has landed ahead of @realDonaldTrump’s transfer to Walter Reed Hospital. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/yISUhoB7Mo
— Brian O'Donovan (@BrianOD_News) October 2, 2020
"He's being evaluated by a team of experts, and together we'll be making recommendations to the President and First Lady in regards to next best steps," Dr Conley said.
Mr Trump's diagnosis was the latest recent setback for the Republican president, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the 3 November presidential election.
Mr Trump, who has played down the threat of the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, wrote on Twitter earlier today that he and his wife Melania were going into quarantine after testing positive for the virus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans and severely damaged the US economy.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
An active Twitter user, Mr Trump has not posted any messages since then.
Mr Trump is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained in apparent good health during his time in office but is not known to exercise regularly or to follow a healthy diet.
Mr Biden and his wife Jill both tested negative for the virus this evening. Earlier today, he took to Twitter to wish Mr Trump a "swift recovery".
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.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2020
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Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have also tested negative for the virus.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney is restricting his movements to "essential work only" following his trip to Washington DC this week, which included a meeting at the White House.
