Corona ‘ Don & dusted’
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has declared himself immune to COVID- 19 and ready for a fight, as his White House race against surging rival Joe Biden enters its critical final weeks.
Mr Trump’s doctors gave him the all- clear to return to the campaign trail after he was ruled no longer a transmission risk — although he has yet to be declared virus- free, and his immunity claim is unproven.
“It looks like I’m immune for, I don’t know, maybe a long time and maybe a short time, it could be a lifetime, nobody really knows, but I’m immune,” Mr Trump mp told Fox News.
“The word im- - munity means someething, having really a protective glow. So now you have a President nt who doesn’t have to hide in a basebasement like his opponent,” Mr Trump added — in a jab at his rival, who has taken a far more cautious approach to campaigning.
It is not yet clear to what degree contracting COVID- 19 confers immunity, with early studies suggesting a few months while newer ones have indicated it could last longer.
Twitter on Monday hid a tweet from Mr Trump in which he claimed immunity, saying the post violated its rules about misleading and potentially harmful misinformation.
Mr Trump, 74, was treated with Regeneron, an experimental antibody cocktail that may give immunity for just a few months when taken as a treatment rather than vaccine.
“In some cases, vaccines can last for decades. ( But) if you get it in the form of natural immunity, that isn’t known yet,” Regeneron chief executive Leonard Schleifer said.
“If you get it in our vial, if you will, that’s probably going to last you for months,” he said.
Badly trailing Mr Biden in the opinion polls with just 23 days until the November 3 vote, Mr Trump ( pictured) has been counting the days until he he can hit hi the trail again.
The Th Republican leader rallied r hundreds of supporters sup for a comeback com event at the White House on Sun Sunday ( AEST), and is plann planning back- to- back rallies this thi week in Florida, Pennsylvania Pennsylvani and Iowa in a bid to salvage his campaign.
During his phone interview on Fox News, Mr Trump suggested that his White House rival could himself be sick.
“If you look at Joe, he was coughing yesterday horribly and grabbing his mask, as he’s coughing,” Mr Trump said.
“I don’t know what that was all about, and it didn’t get much press.”
The Biden campaign has been publishing daily coronavirus test results for their 77year- old candidate since Mr Trump tested positive on October 1 — landing him in hospital for three nights and derailing his campaign.