Covid-19: doctor says Trump is improving, but not ‘out of the woods’ yet

US President Donald Trump went through a “very worrying” period on Friday and faces a “critical” period for the next two days in his fight against Covid-19 at a US military hospital, his boss said. staff on Saturday (Sunday New Zealand time). to a more optimistic assessment moments earlier by Trump’s doctors, who struggled not to reveal that the president had received supplemental oxygen at the White House prior to his admission to the hospital.

Trump remained at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday. He offered his own assessment of his condition on Saturday night (Sunday New Zealand time) in a video from his hospital suite, saying he was beginning to feel better and hoped to “be back soon.”

Hours earlier, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters outside the hospital: “We are not yet on a clear path to a full recovery.” In an update Sunday night New Zealand time, Trump’s chief physician expressed cautious optimism, but added that the president was “not out of the woods yet.”

The shifting – and at times contradictory – accounts created a credibility crisis for the White House at a crucial time, with the president’s health and the nation’s leadership at stake. Trump is expected to remain hospitalized for several more days and the presidential election looms, so Americans are watching his condition with anxiety.

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Furthermore, the health of the president represents a national security concern of the utmost importance not only to the functions of the United States government, but also to countries around the world, friends and others.

The briefing on Saturday (Sunday New Zealand time) by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other physicians raised more questions than it answered. Conley repeatedly declined to say whether the president ever needed supplemental oxygen, despite repeated questioning, and declined to share key details, including the level of fever Trump had before returning to normal range. Conley also revealed that Trump had started displaying “clinical indications” for Covid-19 on Thursday afternoon, earlier than was previously known.

Conley spent much of the briefing dodging questions from reporters as he was pressed for more details.

“Thursday without oxygen. None at this time. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he had no oxygen, “Conley said.

But according to a person familiar with Trump’s condition, Trump was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday morning, long before he was taken to the military hospital by helicopter that night. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity.

Conley said Trump’s symptoms, including a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue, “are now resolving and improving,” and said the president had been fever-free for 24 hours. But Trump is also taking aspirin, which lowers body temperature and could mask or mitigate that symptom.

“He’s in a really good mood,” said another doctor, Sean Dooley, who said Trump’s heart, kidney and liver function were normal and he had no trouble breathing or walking.

In an evening health update, Conley said Trump had gotten up and moved through his medical suite without difficulty and doing business. “Although it is not out of the woods yet, the team remains cautiously optimistic,” he said.

In the hospital video, Trump defended his decision to continue campaigning and holding large events in the midst of a pandemic.

“I had no choice,” said Trump, who refused to comply with basic public health recommendations, including wearing masks. “I had to be at the front … I can’t be locked in an upstairs room and totally safe … As a leader, you have to face problems.”

Trump also thanked his medical team and praised the cutting-edge treatments he was receiving, likening them to “miracles that come from God.” Trump’s medical care is far superior to that of the average American, with 24-hour care and experimental treatments.

The president was angry at Meadows’ public assessment of his health and, in an effort to demonstrate his vitality, Trump ordered the video and authorized his confidant Rudy Giuliani to issue a statement on his behalf that he was feeling fine, according to a Republican. . near the White House not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.

Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk for serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the US.

First lady Melania Trump remained in the White House to recover from her own attack with the virus. She was “really handling it really well,” Trump said in the video, noting with a touch of humor that she was “just a little bit younger,” in fact 24 years younger.

Meadows himself had insisted Friday morning that Trump had only “mild symptoms” as the White House tried to project an image of normalcy. It was unclear if Trump had already received oxygen when Meadows spoke.

“President Trump remains in a good mood, has mild symptoms, and has been working all day,” Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said late on Friday (local time). She said Trump had only been sent to Walter Reed as a precautionary measure.

The Trump administration has been less than transparent to the public during the pandemic, both about the president’s health and about the spread of the virus within the White House. The first word that a close associate of Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House. And aides have repeatedly refused to share basic health information, including a full account of the president’s symptoms, tests that have been performed, and results.

In a memo posted Friday night (local time), Conley reported that Trump had been treated at the hospital with remdesivir, an antiviral drug, after sharing that he had taken another experimental drug at the White House.

Conley declined to say when Trump’s last test was done before he was confirmed to have Covid-19 on Thursday night. It initially suggested that Trump was 72 hours after diagnosis, which would mean she was confirmed infected on Wednesday. Conley later clarified that Trump was administered an accurate test for the virus on Thursday afternoon, after White House aide Hope Hicks was confirmed positive and Trump showed “clinical indications” of the virus.

The White House has said that Trump was expected to remain in the hospital for “a few days” and that he would continue to work from his presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to fulfill his official duties. In addition to accessibility to tests and equipment, the decision to move to the hospital on Friday was made, at least in part, on the understanding that rushing there later could send a worrying signal if it got worse.

On Saturday, Conley said Trump’s blood oxygen level was 96 percent, which is in the normal range. The two experimental drugs he has received, administered intravenously, have shown some promise against Covid-19. On Friday, he was administered a single dose of a drug that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. is testing to deliver antibodies that help his immune system fight the virus.

On Friday night, he began a five-day treatment with remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for patients with moderate and severe illnesses. Medications work in different ways: Antibodies help the immune system remove the virus from the body, and remdesivir slows the virus’ ability to multiply.

“We are maximizing all aspects of your care,” attacking the virus in multiple ways, Conley said. “She didn’t want to withhold anything if there was any chance that she would add value to her care.”

He noted that in many cases, Covid-19 can become more dangerous as the body responds. “The first week of Covid, and in particular days seven to ten, are the most critical in determining the likely course of this disease,” he said.

At the same time, the White House has been working to track a series of new infections from Trump aides and close allies. The focus is in particular on last Saturday’s White House event in which Trump’s candidate for the Supreme Court was introduced. That day, Trump gathered more than 150 people in the Rose Garden, where they mingled, hugged and shook hands, overwhelmingly without masks. There were also several indoor receptions, where Trump-chosen Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, his family, senators and others spent time in the confined spaces of the White House, photos show.

Among those who attended and now tested positive: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, the president of the University of Notre Dame and at least two Republican lawmakers: Mike Lee and Thom Tillis. The president’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, and the head of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, also tested positive, although they were not at the event.

One of the president’s personal assistants, Nick Luna, tested positive after traveling with Trump several times recently, a White House official said Saturday. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and requested anonymity.