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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said in video from his hospital room on Saturday (October 3) that he was feeling “much better” and hoped to “be back soon,” after a day of mixed messages from the White House on his condition after his COVID-19 diagnosis.
In a four-minute video posted on Twitter, Trump, looking tired and wearing an open-necked jacket and shirt, said he “didn’t feel so good” when he first arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and that The following days would be crucial in your fight against the coronavirus.
“Over the next few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll see what happens over the next few days,” Trump said, sitting at a round table in front of an American flag.
The comments came hours after various assessments of his health by administration officials made it unclear how ill the president had become since testing positive for coronavirus on Thursday night, a matter of enormous public concern. .
READ: Next 48 Hours Critical for Trump in COVID-19 Fight: White House Chief of Staff
A team of White House doctors said Saturday morning that Trump’s condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. One doctor said Trump had told them “‘I feel like I could get out of here today.’
Within minutes, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less optimistic assessment, telling them: “The president’s vital signs over the past 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours they will be critical in terms of your care – not on a clear path to full recovery. “
Meadows, whose initial comments were provided on the condition that he not be identified, changed his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was “very well” and that “doctors are very satisfied with his vital signs.”
Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in its comments.
Trump was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed, near Washington, about 17 hours after announcing his illness. Administration officials, who described the move as a precautionary measure, said he would remain in the hospital for several days.
Another source who was briefed on Trump’s condition said the president received supplemental oxygen before going to the hospital. The decision to hospitalize Trump came after he experienced shortness of breath and his oxygen level dropped, according to a source familiar with the situation.
READ: Former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway tests positive for COVID-19
White House physician Sean P Conley told reporters outside the hospital Saturday that Trump had not experienced shortness of breath and that Walter Reed was not given oxygen.
“The team and I are very pleased with the progress the president has made,” Conley said.
He declined to give a timeline for Trump’s possible release from the hospital, then had to issue a statement saying he was wrong after seeming to suggest that Trump had been diagnosed on Wednesday.
On Saturday night, Conley said Trump was fever-free and better after treatment, but that he was still not out of the woods.
“He spent much of the afternoon doing business and has gotten up and moved around the medical room without difficulty,” Conley said in a statement.
“Today’s spectacle – the doctors say one thing, the White House sources say something else, and then they both amend their remarks – it only reinforces the credibility problems of this administration,” said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the Center for Politics of the University of Virginia.
READ: Trump and 2 senators test positive for COVID-19, Congress reconsiders testing theirs
READ: COVID-19: White House National Security Council tells staff members to wear masks in common areas and avoid the West Wing
UPDATED CAMPAIGN
The diagnosis was the latest setback for the Republican president, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
With Trump in the hospital, his campaign announced Operation MAGA, based on his slogan “Make America Great Again,” which will see high-profile allies, including Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, take control person campaigning starting next week.
Pence, who tested negative on Friday, will debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Wednesday before embarking on a spin through the battle states, the campaign said.
Biden, who largely avoided direct criticism of Trump during a campaign trip to Michigan on Friday, took a more aggressive tone Saturday while speaking to a union of transit workers on Saturday, even as he wished the president the best.
“I’m in a small place here, because I don’t want to attack the president and the first lady right now,” Biden said, adding that he hoped the Trumps would make a full recovery.
But he quickly turned a corner on Trump’s response to the pandemic, calling it “inconceivable” and criticizing Trump’s comment in an interview this summer that it “is what it is” when asked about the death toll.
“I think this is one of the most despicable things I’ve encountered in my entire career,” Biden said.
Biden, who tested negative on Friday, told reporters that he would be tested on Sunday next time. His campaign will begin publishing the results of each test, a spokesperson said.
The Democratic nominee has avoided big events in favor of low-key appearances with few or no attendees, while Trump has held large rallies with little social distancing.
Biden has used Trump’s diagnosis to reinforce his calls for people to wear masks, a practice Trump has challenged.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic this year, even as it has killed more than 200,000 Americans and hit the American economy.
TRUMP AT RISK
Conley said Trump had received a first dose of a five-day course of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten hospital stays.
He’s also taking an experimental treatment, Regeneron’s REGN-COV2, one of several experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, as well as zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin, Conley said.
The president is at high risk because of his age and weight. He has remained apparently in good health during his time in office, but he is not known to exercise regularly or eat a healthy diet.
Several other prominent Republicans have also said they tested positive for COVID-19 since Trump’s announcement, including Republican Senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former White House Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. .
Christie said she checked into a hospital Saturday as a precautionary measure due to her asthma, though she said she only had mild symptoms.
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