President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up on Friday as he leaves the White House to go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Given this nation's daily fight with COVID-19, the news from the White House on Friday shouldn't have been surprising — the president of the United States and the first lady have tested positive for COVID-19.

We are in a pandemic and political party lines, gender, race and ethnicity don't matter.

There have been 7.2 million cases of the coronavirus in the United States so far, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The families of more than 207,000 people have mourned the death of their loved ones from a virus that also, in many cases, took away their last moments together.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 994 Butler County residents have tested positive for the virus, according to the state Department of Health. Twenty-five have died.

“There is no guarantee you're not going to get it,” said Dr. Sam Daisley, vice president of medical affairs at UPMC Horizon in Mercer County.

We wish nothing but a speedy recovery for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania and any other members of the White House staff infected.

Our president is 74-years-old, part of the demographic the hardest hit by the coronavirus — 160,000 of the 200,000 Americans who have died from the virus were 65 or older.

He will need his fighting spirit and the prayers of the American people as he experiences firsthand the effects of COVID-19.

“I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out,” the president said has he boarded a helicopter for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.

And while we send emotional support to one of the most influential leaders in the world, let's try to keep those near us as safe as possible. Wear a mask, wash your hands and try to social distance.

— DJS