Twitter on Sunday flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump in which he claimed he was immune to the coronavirus, saying it violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to Covid-19.
"A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can't get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know," Mr Trump tweeted.
The post was flagged by Twitter with a disclaimer: "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19."
A Twitter spokesman said the tweet made "misleading health claims" about Covid-19 and that engagements with the post would be "significantly limited", as is standard in such cases.
Mr Trump on Sunday said he had fully recovered from Covid-19 and would not be a transmission risk, freeing him to hold big campaign rallies again in the final weeks of the race for the White House.
The President first announced he had had a positive coronavirus test on Oct 2. Mr Trump's physician last Saturday said the President had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious.
The science is not clear on how long recovered Covid-19 patients have antibodies and are protected from another infection.
Mr Trump is trying to put his bout with the virus behind him, returning to the campaign trail yesterday to begin a three-week sprint to the Nov 3 election with a rally in the vital battleground state of Florida. The event, to be held at an airport, will be his first rally since his positive test for the virus.
The Republican President is seeking to change the dynamics of a race that polls show he is losing to Democratic rival Joe Biden just three weeks before election day.
For months, Mr Trump had worked to shift attention away from the virus and his handling of the pandemic, which has infected 7.7 million people in the United States, killed more than 214,000 and put millions out of work.
DISCLAIMER
This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19.
TWITTER, responding to US President Donald Trump's tweet claiming: "A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can't get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know."
But his own illness has put the spotlight squarely on his coronavirus response during the closing stretch of the race.
Mr Biden yesterday visited Ohio, a state Mr Trump won by 8 percentage points in 2016. It's Mr Biden's second campaign trip in as several weeks to Ohio, which was once thought out of reach but where polls now show a tight race.
In Ohio, he'll deliver a speech in Toledo meant to undermine what polls show is Mr Trump's last greatest strength, the view among some voters that the previous real estate entrepreneur is better on handling the economy.
Mr Trump has pulled back his advertising in Ohio, while Mr Biden has increased his, another sign of the opportunity the Democrats see to make more states competitive than they initially imagined.
Mr Trump's rally in Florida, and planned rallies in Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Carolina this week, will be watched closely to see if the President has changed tack in campaigning since contracting the virus.
He has been criticised for failing to encourage supporters at campaign events, and even White House staff, to wear protective masks and abide by social distancing guidelines. At least 11 close Trump aides have tested positive.
Asked last Saturday if Mr Trump should be resuming rallies, Mr Biden said it was important that he makes it clear to all those in attendance the importance of staying socially distanced and wearing masks.
"That's the only responsible thing to do," Mr Biden said.
Most recent polls in Florida, where a Trump loss would dramatically narrow his path to re-election, show Mr Biden with a small lead.
Mr Trump won Florida over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 by just 1.2 percentage points, which helped propel him to the White House.
REUTERS