Trump 'doing very well' after hospitalisation with Covid-19

President is not having difficulty breathing or walking around

US President Donald Trump arrives at the Walter Reed Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland where he is being treated after testing positive for Covid-19.  AFP

US President Donald Trump "is doing very well" with no fever or difficulty breathing, his doctors said a day after the president was admitted to hospital with Covid-19.

"This morning the president is doing very well," White House doctor Sean Conley told a morning briefing at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, where the president was taken by helicopter on Friday evening.

He said the mild cough, some nasal congestion and fatigue that Mr Trump experienced on Thursday were "resolving and improving", but said it was too early to say how the coronavirus infection might progress.

“The first week of Covid and in particular the days seven to 10 are the most critical in determining the likely course of this illness. At this time the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made,” Dr Conley said.

Col Sean N Dooley, a member of the medical team overseeing Mr Trump's care, said the president was having no difficulty breathing or walking around and his cardiac, kidney and liver functions were all normal.

"We are monitoring him very closely for any evidence of complications from either the coronavirus illness or the therapies that we are prescribing to make him better," Dr Dooley said. "He is in exceptionally good spirits."

White House officials said Mr Trump, 74, would stay at the hospital for the next few days as a precautionary measure.

Dr Conley said late on Friday that Mr Trump had received a first dose of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.

Dr Conley said earlier on Friday that Mr Trump has received an experimental treatment, Regeneron's REGN-COV2, one of several experimental Covid-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which are used for treating a wide range of illnesses.

Mr Trump announced that he and first Lady Melania Trump had tested positive in a tweet sent early on Friday. He later announced his move to hospital in a brief video message posted on Twitter.

"I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out," he said.

Mr Trump's diagnosis was confirmed hours after his close aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus, and was followed by confirmation of infection from several other members of his circle.

The illness comes at a critical time for the Republican president, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls with just weeks to go before the November 3 presidential election.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, joined leaders from around the world in wishing Mr Trump a quick recovery.

"Our best wishes go out to US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, and we hope for their speedy recovery," Sheikh Mohamed wrote on Twitter, adding: "Together the world will overcome the Covid-19 pandemic."