A member of President Trump's cabinet has thanked his supporters for their prayers after becoming "extremely sick" with Covid-19. Ben Carson, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said he initially only experienced mild symptoms before suddenly finding himself "desperately ill" with the virus.
"After a brief period when I only experienced minor discomfort, the symptoms accelerated and I became desperately ill," Carson posted to Facebook. The retired neurosurgeon thanked everyone for their "support and prayers" while he and his wife, Candy, suffered through the illness under the care of the White House medical team.
"President Trump, the fabulous White House medical team, and the phenomenal doctors at Walter Reed have been paying very close attention to my health and I do believe I am out of the woods at this point," he added. "I am hopeful that we can stop playing politics with medicine and instead combine our efforts and goodwill for the good of all people. While I am blessed to have the best medical care in the world (and I am convinced it saved my life), we must prioritize getting comparable treatments and care to everyone as soon as possible."
A former medic, Carson provided a broad update on some of the ways in which Covid-19 infections can be combatted, adding that there were "a number of promising treatments that need to be tested, approved, and distributed (sooner rather than later) so that the economy can be re-opened and we can all return to a semblance of normalcy".
"Together we will be victorious," the politician said on the continued fight against Covid-19.
"God is still in charge."
The United States has by far the most number of Covid-19 infections of any country in the world - 12.5 million have contracted the virus, with 265,000 deaths recorded. The virus has spread right to the heart of government, too, with several of the president's key aides and advisers becoming infected over recent weeks. The latest high-profile figure to contract the virus was White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who tested positive earlier this month along with five other White House staffers. Several journalists who work at the White House have also become infected.
Last week, the President's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, tested positive for the virus. On Saturday, President Trump tweeted: "My son Donald is doing very well. Thank you!".
The younger Donald is thought to be self-isolating at his hunting cabin in upstate New York.