‘He’s back’: White House doctor says Trump not ‘out of the woods yet’ but approves of departure from Walter Reed

White House physician Sean Conley said he supports President Trump’s plan to depart Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday evening.

Minutes after Trump tweeted that he would return to the White House at 6:30 p.m., Conley told reporters that Trump has improved since being diagnosed with COVID-19 but cautioned that there remains some risk to the 74-year-old’s health.

“Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations, and, most importantly, his clinical status, support the president’s safe return home, where he’ll be surrounded by world-class medical care 24-7,” Conley said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday evening and announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the coronavirus in the early morning hours of Friday. While Melania Trump’s case has been said to be very mild, Trump appeared to be in worse shape and was transported to Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday.

He was showing “mild symptoms” at that time, according to his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who later said the symptoms ultimately got worse. During a press conference late Sunday morning, Conley confirmed that Trump was given supplemental oxygen on Friday and had a “high fever” but by that point was improving.

While in the hospital, Trump has been given multiple doses of remdesivir. Before that, the White House said the president was being treated with an experimental polyclonal antibody cocktail and was taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin.

Asked Monday if the president is experiencing any side effects from the medication, Conley said that was not the case. “He’s back,” Conley said.

Trump’s health during his time at Walter Reed has been questioned given there were mixed messages coming from the president’s physicians and the White House.