Covid 19 coronavirus: President Donald Trump’s condition is concerning, despite doctors’ word that he is doing ‘very well’

Covid-infected U.S. President Donald Trump received supplemental oxygen at the White House before being hospitalized, says a person with knowledge of his medical condition.

And as his condition improved, the next 48 hours would be critical in terms of his care, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure follows a press conference by Trump’s doctors in which they declined to confirm that the president had received oxygen following his Covid-19 diagnosis on Thursday (Friday, NZT).

Doctors would only say that Trump was not on oxygen at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland.

Doctors said Trump was fine and his symptoms were subsiding.

However, the person said the president’s condition had been “very worrying” although it had improved since he was admitted to the hospital.

An earlier press conference by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other Walter Reed Medical Center physicians raised more questions than he answered, including whether the president had ever required supplemental oxygen and exactly when he became ill.

Conley said that 72 hours after his diagnosis, Trump’s mild cough and tiredness were now improving. She had not had a fever for more than 24 hours.

He said Trump’s symptoms, including coughing and nasal congestion, “are now resolving and improving.”

But Conley’s comments were at odds with information later received by White House reporters, including the AP.

Days 7-10 were the critical period in a Covid infection, said Conley, who spoke alongside nine other medical staff at the hospital.

He said Trump and his wife Melania were “extremely grateful for the prayers” of the people.

“I feel like I could get out of here today,” another doctor, Sean Dooley, reported Trump saying as he was being treated at the medical center.

Today you will be encouraged to stay awake and complete your regular work, Dooley said. “He’s in a really good mood,” Dooley said.

Conley, speaking on Saturday morning US time, said the president had not received oxygen this morning, but avoided questions about whether he had received it since his diagnosis.

“On Thursday there is no oxygen. None at this time. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen,” he said.

He did not answer questions about how the president became infected.

He said that in terms of risk factors, the president was a little overweight, but his blood pressure and heart rate were normal. “I have had no worries there.”

First lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive, was “very well,” showing no symptoms and did not require hospitalization.

Trump was admitted to Walter Reed on Saturday (NZT) after testing positive for coronavirus and has been in treatment.

The administration has been consistently less than transparent about the president’s health as the virus spreads within the White House.

The aides had refused to share basic information about the president’s health, including a full description of his symptoms, the tests that were performed and the results. The first word that a close associate of Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House.

In a memo posted shortly before midnight, Conley reported that Trump had been treated in hospital with remdesivir, an antiviral drug, after taking another experimental drug at the White House. He added that Trump “is doing very well” and “does not need supplemental oxygen.”

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

– AP