Lloyd Austin’s doctors think he may need additional care, White House says
- US National Security spokesman John Kirby said ‘there is routine regular communication’ between President Joe Biden and the defence secretary
- Austin was admitted to hospital on December 22 to treat prostate cancer. He failed to tell Biden he was in hospital, drawing criticism from lawmakers
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s doctors think he may still need some additional care.
“We’ll see, you know, when he can be released, but obviously they still feel like he may need some additional care … part of that is just physical therapy,” Kirby told CBS’ Face the Nation.
Kirby said “there is routine regular communication” between President Joe Biden and Austin and that the secretary remains “actively involved and engaged” from the hospital.
Austin remains hospitalised and is in good condition, the Pentagon said on Saturday, adding that it did not yet have a specific date for his release.
Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Maryland on December 22 to treat prostate cancer. He returned to the hospital on January 1 after complications including a urinary tract infection and has remained there ever since.
