President Trump just tested positive for COVID

United States President Donald Trump has tested positive for the Coronavirus, CNN reports. Early on Friday, he made an announcement confirming that he had contracted the disease. He added that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, had also tested positive. The development has been called "extraordinary" as the country comes into the final stretch of the Presidential campaign prior to elections on November 3. The news is particularly interesting as the President has on numerous occasions flouted experts' recommendations on avoiding the spread of the illness. Furthermore, even more notably, he called the serious concerns over the then-escalating pandemic a "hoax" created by Democrats.

Trump took to Twitter in order to announce his diagnosis. He stated in a tweet, "Tonight, [the first lady] and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" The post was uploaded at around 1 am on Friday morning. Later the same day, Melania Trump also took to Twitter to let her followers know that she and her husband were allegedly "feeling good." The President's physician, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley, wrote in a memo to journalists that he received confirmation of the positive tests on Thursday evening.

"The President and first lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence," he wrote. "The White House medical team and I will maintain a vigilant watch, and I appreciate the support provided by some of our country's greatest medical professionals and institutions. Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any further developments." Conley did not provide additional details about what kind of assistance was being provided to the White House.

President Trump's positive test result is perhaps the most serious diagnosis a sitting American President in several decades. As he is in a high-risk category, the disease poses a severe health threat. The Coronavirus is especially harmful to elderly citizens, and, at the age of 74, could pose immense risk to Trump if not handled carefully. The illness has already killed 200,000 individuals in the United States and over 1 million people across the world. The diagnosis, many believe, could further destabilize an already rocky Presidential campaign between him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Further to this, stock market futures dipped owing to news of Trump's infection.