Former US president Bill Clinton has released a video saying he is on the road to recovery after being admitted to hospital in California for six days to treat an infection unrelated to Covid-19.

The 75-year-old, who arrived on Sunday at his home in New York, said in the video that he was glad to be back home and that he was “so touched by the outpouring of support” he received while in hospital last week.

An aide to Mr Clinton said the former president had a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream but was on the mend and never went into septic shock, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Mr Clinton also thanked the doctors and nurses at the University of California Irvine Medical Centre in Orange, California.

Since Mr Clinton left the White House in 2001, he has faced a number of health scares.

In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath.

He returned to the hospital for surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and in 2010 he had a pair of stents implanted in a coronary artery.

He responded by embracing a largely vegan diet that saw him lose weight and report improved health.