Sean Conley, the personal physician to the president, claims President Trump tested negative twice on consecutive days using the Abbott BinaxNOW coronavirus test, a release from the White House states.
NIH guidelines specify three consecutive negative tests, taken 24 hours apart, before a person returns to work. Trump returned to the Oval Office less than 48 hours after being discharged from Walter Reed Military Medical Center.
Released with Trump’s permission, the statement notes that the information on Trump’s status was determined by the results of the Abbott test and other factors, including Trump’s viral load, which was not released. Conley did not release when the tests were given.
While no test will be 100% accurate, the Abbott BinaxNow test preferred by the White House has a 12% false negative rate.
Trump will attend a scheduled a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida this evening. Broadcasts from the rally site from CNN show hundreds of people gathered without masking and social distancing.