Doctors for President Donald Trump on Saturday painted an optimistic but vague picture of his health as he underwent treatment for the coronavirus, saying he was fine even when they refused to say how high his blood was. fever and if you ever needed supplemental oxygen.
Trump is taking a five-day course of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir and received a large dose of an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment aimed at speeding up his immune response, his doctors said.
Trump announced early Friday morning that he had tested positive for coronavirus and was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday afternoon. Sources told CNN that Trump had been very ill, with a fever and trouble breathing.
But on Saturday, his doctors said he was fine and avoided questions about how sick he had been.
“This morning, the president is very well,” White House physician Dr. Sean Conley told reporters at a news conference.
“The first week of Covid, and in particular days seven to ten, are the most critical in determining the likely course of this disease. At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made,” Conley said. “Thursday he had a mild cough and some nasal congestion, fatigue, all of which are resolving and improving.”
A source who was present at Walter Reed for the update on President Trump’s condition offered a more direct assessment.
“The president’s vital signs over the past 24 hours were very worrying and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are not yet on a clear path to a full recovery,” a source familiar with the report told the White House. health of the president. group reporters after the briefing.
A source close to the White House told CNN that Trump received supplemental oxygen on Friday. Trump “has definitely had oxygen,” the source said. That would indicate some kind of lung malfunction.
However, on Saturday, Conley did not answer direct questions about whether Trump had ever been given oxygen. “Right now he’s not on oxygen. Yesterday and today he wasn’t on oxygen,” Conley said, adding: “We discussed it. He asked about it. He’s not now.”
Conley also didn’t respond to a direct question about whether Trump had any signs of lung damage, only saying the team had been looking for him. “I’m not going to go into detail about what the findings have been,” he said.
Conley said Trump had a blood saturation level of 96, indicating he’s getting enough oxygen. She denied that Trump ever had trouble breathing. Trump had “a little cough,” Conley said, and “more than anything, he felt exhausted.”
Trump had a fever “Thursday through Friday,” Conley said, but added that Trump has not had a fever since Friday. Conley did not say whether Trump had received fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Conley said he didn’t want to set a difficult date when Trump could be fired from Walter Reed, not knowing where Trump is in the course of his illness.
“Every day we are evaluating, do you need to be here, what do you need and where are you going?” Conley said.
The Trump deal
Trump received a dose of Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody cocktail, a combination of two laboratory-engineered proteins designed to detect the coronavirus. He had also received the first infusion of a five-day course of remdesivir, the experimental antiviral drug from Gilead Science.
Conley noted that Walter Reed’s team was giving Trump a variety of therapies, an approach that many doctors are taking to treat coronavirus patients, who suffer from a wide range of symptoms.
“Remdesivir works a bit differently than antibodies. We are maximizing all aspects of its care. Targeting this virus in a multi-pronged approach,” Conley said.
“If there was any chance that it would add value to your attention and streamline it, I wanted to take it.”
Not surprisingly, said Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of research and education for the Health Communication Initiative at Stanford University.
“This is the president of the United States, they are going to throw the kitchen sink at him,” Yasmin told CNN.
Conley said Trump’s medical team is on the lookout for blood clots, pneumonia, bacterial infections and other possible complications from coronavirus infection.
“We know that all of these are risks associated with his condition. He is receiving the full standard of care and beyond routine international protocols from Covid,” Conley said.
“We are monitoring him very closely for any evidence of complications, either from coronavirus disease or the therapies that we are prescribing to improve him. We have monitored his heart function, his kidney function, his liver function, all of which are normal. “Dr. Sean Dooley, one of the team of doctors who cares for Trump, told reporters.
Conley said it’s unclear how long Trump will stay at Walter Reed, located outside Washington in Bethesda, Maryland.
“Every day, we review with the team their needs to be here,” Conley said. “And as soon as you get to the point where it’s not a requirement, you might still need a little attention, but if we can provide that center at home, then we’ll transition at that point, as long as it’s safe and appropriate. and the team agrees. “
But the team of doctors met with reporters on Saturday to indicate that the president was fine.
“He’s in a really good mood, and actually when we were completing our multidisciplinary rounds this morning, the quote he left us was ‘I feel like I could get out of here today,’ and that was a very encouraging comment from the president.” Said Dooley. .
As for First Lady Melania Trump, Conley said she was doing well and recovering from the coronavirus.
“The first lady is fine, thanks for asking,” Conley said. “She has no indication for advanced inpatient therapy. She is convalescing at home.”
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