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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s condition is improving as he is being treated for COVID-19 at a military hospital, and he could return to the White House on Monday (October 5), where he would continue his treatment, according to the doctors running his treatment. he said on Sunday.
Doctors gave Trump supplemental oxygen twice during his battle with lung disease, on Thursday and Friday, and also gave him dexamethasone, they told reporters the day after a series of conflicting messages from the White House caused a Widespread confusion about Trump’s condition.
Dexamethasone has been shown in studies to improve survival for hospitalized patients with critical COVID-19 who require additional oxygen. But it shouldn’t be given in mild cases, as it can limit the body’s own ability to fight the virus, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.
“The fact is, he’s doing very well,” Dr. Sean P Conley told reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump has been receiving treatment since Friday.
US President Donald Trump disembarks from the Marine One helicopter followed by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as he arrives at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on October 2, 2020 ( Photo: REUTERS / Joshua Roberts).
Doctors said Trump has had no fever since Friday and that his liver and kidney function remained normal after the second dose in a five-day cycle of Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug sold by Gilead Sciences Inc that has been shown to shorten the hospital stays.
Dr. Brian Garibaldi said Trump was given dexamethasone in response to “transient low oxygen levels.”
“He got his first dose of that yesterday and our plan is to continue that for now,” Garibaldi said.
READ: What is President Trump’s COVID-19 treatment plan?
Trump is also receiving an experimental treatment, REGN-COV2 from Regeneron, as well as zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin, his doctors said.
Trump released a four-minute video on Saturday in which he said “real proof” of his condition will come in the next few days.
“Over the next few days, I guess that’s the real test, so we’ll see what happens in the next few days,” Trump told the camera, looking tired and wearing an open-necked jacket and shirt. .
US President Donald Trump, who is being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a military hospital outside Washington, speaks from his hospital room, in this still image taken from video provided. by the White House, October 3, 2020. (Photo: The White House / Handout via REUTERS)
Trump’s illness has upset the campaign ahead of the November presidential election and highlighted the president’s handling of the pandemic. The Republican president is behind his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls.
A Reuters / Ipsos poll released on Sunday found that Biden had opened a 10-point lead over Trump nationally, slightly wider than it has been for the past two months.
About 65 percent of Americans said Trump likely would not have been infected if he had taken the virus more seriously, a view supported by half of registered Republicans surveyed. About 55 percent said they did not believe Trump had been telling the truth about the virus.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump take part in a car parade in Columbus, Ohio, on October 3, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Megan Jelinger)
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the pandemic, even as it has killed more than 208,000 Americans and hit the American economy.
‘BEST TEAM ATTITUDE’
Different assessments of Trump’s health by administration officials on Saturday made it unclear how sick the president had become since testing positive for the coronavirus Thursday night.
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.
Within minutes, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gave reporters a less optimistic assessment, saying, “The president’s vital signs over the past 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of your care. on a clear path to full recovery. “
Supporters gather at a vigil for United States President Donald Trump outside the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he is being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bethesda, Maryland on 3 October 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst). )
Meadows, whose initial comments were provided on the condition that he was not identified, changed his tone hours later, telling Reuters that Trump was “very well” and that “doctors are very satisfied with his vital signs.”
In an interview with Fox News broadcast Saturday night, Meadows revealed that Trump’s condition on Friday was much worse than officials had made public, and said doctors recommended that the president go to hospital after seeing that he had fever and that his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly.
Conley commented on the conflicting assessments Sunday.
“He was trying to reflect an optimistic attitude from the team and the president about the course of his illness,” Conley told reporters Sunday. “I didn’t want to give any information that could direct the course of the disease in another direction, and in doing so it turned out that we were trying to hide something, which is not necessarily true.”
THE ‘AGGRESSIVE’ CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
The Trump campaign promised that Vice President Mike Pence, who would assume the presidency if Trump could not fulfill his duties, would have an “aggressive” campaign program this week, as would Trump’s three oldest children.
“We can’t stay in our basement or shut down the economy indefinitely. We have to face it head-on,” Trump’s senior campaign adviser Jason Miller said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
With Trump out of the campaign indefinitely, his campaign announced “Operation MAGA,” based on his catchphrase “Make America Great Again,” which will see high-profile allies, including Pence and Trump’s eldest sons, Donald Jr and Eric, take control in person by campaigning this week.
LEE: What happens if a US presidential candidate leaves the race?
Pence, who tested negative on Friday, will debate on Wednesday with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
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, even as he wished the president the best.
“I’m in a bit of a bind here, because I don’t want to attack the president and the first lady right now,” Biden said, adding that he hoped Trump and his wife Melania, who also has the disease, will make a full recovery.
But he was quick to address 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.
Supporters hold a vigil for United States President Donald Trump outside the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Trump is being treated for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bethesda, Maryland on 3 October 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst). )
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.
Several other prominent Republicans have also tested positive for coronavirus since Trump’s announcement, including Republican Senators Mike Lee, Thom Tillis and Ron Johnson, former Senior White House Counsel Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
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