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President Donald Trump was treated with a cocktail of experimental antibodies to COVID-19 and is being transferred to a military hospital as a precaution, White House officials said Friday.
The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said in a statement that Trump “is still fatigued but in good spirits” after receiving an intravenous dose of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s dual antibody. Trump was also taking immune system boosters, zinc, and vitamin D, aspirin, and other generic drugs.
Trump, 74, walked to a helicopter Friday before being transferred to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days.
Regeneron’s drug REGN-COV2 is part of a class of experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies – manufactured copies of human antibodies to the virus that are being studied for use in patients with early disease.
Trump’s doctors “must be concerned enough by what they’re seeing that they decided to use an experimental drug … Experimental drugs are by definition risky,” said Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez, infectious disease specialist at the School of Medicine. Keck Medicine from the University of California. University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the body’s immune system that recognize, bind, and neutralize an invading virus. Regeneron’s cocktail, which contains an antibody made by the company and a second isolate from humans who recovered from COVID-19, is designed so that its two antibodies bind to the coronavirus spike protein, limiting the ability to virus escape.
The technique is already widely used to treat a variety of diseases. The data so far is limited for COVID-19 antibodies, but US infectious diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci is among those who say it is promising.
Regeneron reported this week the results of a trial showing that its drug improved symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, without serious side effects, and said it planned to speak with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about an authorization of emergency use.
Eli Lilly & Co has also announced encouraging preliminary data from a test of its coronavirus antibody and said it is seeking an emergency clearance from the FDA.
Shares of Regeneron rose about 3% in after-hours trading, following the announcement that Trump received the drug.
Trump is also taking famotidine, a heartburn drug, often sold in the US under the brand name Pepcid. Although the drug has not been shown to work against COVID-19, researchers are studying it as a possible treatment.
Zinc and vitamin D are believed to boost the immune system. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate daily body rhythms. Trump has said in the past that he takes a daily low-dose aspirin, which is recommended for some adults at increased risk for heart attack or stroke.
As Americans took in the news Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for the new coronavirus, some of his supporters expressed surprise that he had not been safe from the infection and said their support for him had not waned.
“It was shocking,” said Maranda Joseph, 43, of Warren, Ohio, who has 12 Trump flags in his front yard adorned with skeletons and other Halloween decorations. “Seeing he has it wakes you up a bit. Anyone can get it, even the president.
Trump tweeted early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania, had tested positive https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-trump/trump-shows-covid-19-symptoms -as- positive-test-rocks-white-house-campaign-idUSKBN26N0K4 after a dizzying week of campaigning in which he visited seven states https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN26N30G and debated with his Democratic rival at the November 3 election, Joe Biden.
The Republican has downplayed the risks of the virus and the COVID-19 disease that has killed more than 207,000 Americans, drawing criticism for his erratic messages and the recent resumption of campaign rallies where his supporters often huddle together and not use. More expensive.
Officials in Minnesota and New Jersey, two of Trump’s stops this week, urged everyone who attended his events to get tested.
Joseph, a homemaker, said she believes more people should wear masks at future Trump rallies, though she added that she will attend one herself once the president recovers.
“People with compromised immune systems should stay home,” he said.
Some in Warren expressed skepticism that Trump even has the virus, citing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s positive test earlier this year before it came back negative that same day.
“There are so many false positives out there. Has Trump done a second test yet?” asked Sharon Tice, 70, who sells T-shirts and other Trump memorabilia. “But if you do, it could influence the way you see things.”
In Palm Springs, California, Katie Jones, 36, of San Diego, was confident that Trump would defeat the virus.
“It’s like he’s heartbreaking inside, but he’s a strong man. He’ll get over it,” he told Reuters.
The White House said Trump would be moved to a special suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for the next few days as a precaution.
A source familiar with the situation said Trump has a mild fever and a White House official said doctors urged the move so Trump could receive immediate care if necessary.
Dan Madden, an Orange County independent voter who spoke in Palm Springs, said concerns could rise if Trump’s condition worsens.
“If you’re in bed and you’re sick and you need a respirator, that would probably change a lot of people’s minds. But you may feel some flu symptoms. You may have to stay in bed for a few days. You don’t know. It affects you. all so differently. “
Trump’s gender, age and weight https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN26N23I are all factors that make him more vulnerable to developing severe COVID-19 and give him a theoretical risk of around 4% of dying because of him, health experts said on Friday.
Some Republicans said the diagnosis could help the president.
“Trump will show the American people that you can survive COVID,” said Cathy Lukasko, Assistant GOP Chairperson for Trumbull County, Ohio.
More than 7.2 million infections have been reported in the United States since the pandemic began seven months ago.
Lukasko ran the party’s offices on Friday without a mask, handing out posters for Trump and local Republican candidates.
“This could be a good break for him,” he said.
The reactions reflected a long-standing pattern: Americans are largely settled in their views on Trump. A Reuters / Ipsos poll released Thursday showed Biden held a 9-point lead over Trump, the same margin in six of the last seven national polls, a period of time that has seen the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth. Bader Ginsburg and Tuesday night. chaotic debate.
In Bangor, Pennsylvania, Trump supporter Jack Cooper, a 70-year-old retired electrician, said the president was paying the price for underestimating the dangers of the virus. However, he said that wouldn’t stop him from voting for Trump again.
“He’s trying his own medicine,” said Cooper, who lives in a crucial district. “I was playing without a mask in big crowds. It’s like bringing a pit bull to a big crowd, something is going to happen.”
– Reuters
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