Donald Trump taken to military hospital after coronavirus diagnosis

President Donald Trump arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

US President Donald Trump has been taken to a military hospital after being injected with an experimental antibody cocktail at the White House following his coronavirus diagnosis.

The White House said Mr Trump’s expected stay of “a few days” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre was precautionary and that he would continue to work from the hospital’s presidential suite.

He walked out of the White House on Friday evening wearing a mask and gave a thumbs-up to reporters but did not speak before boarding Marine One.

Members of the aircrew, Secret Service agents and White House staff wore face coverings to protect themselves from the president onboard the helicopter.

In a video message recorded before leaving for Walter Reed, Mr Trump said: “I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out.”

Just a month before the presidential election, Mr Trump’s revelation that he was positive for the virus came via an early morning tweet after he had returned from an afternoon political fundraiser.

He had gone ahead, saying nothing to the crowd though knowing he had been exposed to an aide with the disease that has infected millions in America and killed more than a million people worldwide.

President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he leaves the White House (Alex Brandon/AP)

First lady Melania Trump also tested positive, the president said, and several others in the White House have too, prompting concern that the White House or even Mr Trump himself might have spread the virus further.

He said in his video that his wife was doing very well.

Mr Trump’s diagnosis was sure to have a destabilising effect in Washington and around the world, raising questions about how far the virus has spread through the upper levels of government.

His immediate campaign events were all cancelled, and his next debate with Democrat Joe Biden, scheduled for October 15, is now in question.

The president’s re-election campaign said all events featuring Mr Trump and members of his family would either be postponed or go online, but that vice-president Mike Pence would resume campaigning as he had tested negative.