Trump doctor 'extremely happy' with president's progress
President Donald Trump is doing “very well” after spending the night in a hospital, his physician Dr Sean Conley says.
Donald Trump has told doctors he feels like he could walk out of hospital already. Photo: AFP
Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday and yesterday he was flown by helicopter from the White House to the Walter Reed Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland.
At the first medical briefing since he was admitted, Dr Conley said Trump’s medical team is “extremely happy with the progress the president has made”.
He was brought into hospital yesterday as a “precautionary measure”, Dr Conley said.
White House physician Sean Conley gives an update on the condition of US President Donald Trump, at Walter Reed Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland. Photo: AFP
The medical team are “monitoring him very closely for any evidence of complications”.
“And the president this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around the White House medical unit upstairs,” Dr Conley said.
One of the doctors said Trump told him: “I feel like I could walk out of here today.”
President Donald Trump leaves Marine One to be admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Centre. Photo: AFP
He has been fever-free for over 24 hours, the doctors say.
He’s receiving both the drug Remdesivir and an experimental treatment. They tackle different aspects of the disease, the doctors say.
Remdesivir has been shown to shorten the recovery time from the coronavirus. Trump will complete a five-day course of treatment, his doctors say.
They say they are “maximising all aspects of his care” and “don’t want to hold anything back”.
Questions being raised over timing
Starting the briefing, Trump’s personal doctor said they had decided to move the president to the hospital out of caution.
“Just 72 hours into the diagnosis now, the first week of Covid – in particular days seven to 10 – are the most critical in determining the likely course of this illness,” Dr Sean Conley said.
But as BBC North American editor Jon Sopel pointed out on Twitter, Trump only confirmed his positive test early on Friday morning (US time) – roughly 36 hours ago.
My big take out from that briefing – the physician talked about the last 72 hours. What? Confirmation only came yesterday morning from @realDonaldTrump – so did he have #coronavirus on Wednesday, and WH chose not to disclose it? Seems a fair question
— Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) October 3, 2020
During the 72 hour timeline given by physician, @realDonaldTrump held a press briefing with no mask, flew to Duluth for rally, went to Bedminster for a fund raiser where no one wore masks. If @WhiteHouse knew he was symptomatic/had #coronavirus isn’t that indefensible?
— Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) October 3, 2020
Trump in ‘exceptionally good spirits’
Sean N Dooley, a pulmonologist also spoke during the briefing, said: “We are monitoring [Trump] very closely for any evidence of complications from either the coronavirus illness or the therapies that we are prescribing to make him better. He is in exceptionally good spirits.”
President Trump asked doctors about the drug hydroxychloroquine, but is not taking it at this time, his doctors say. Early in the pandemic, he touted the medicine as a treatment for coronavirus – a recommendation not borne out by medical research.
First Lady Melania Trump, who has also tested positive, remains at the White House and is not being treated at the Walter Reed military hospital.
She is “doing great”, the doctors say, and is “convalescing at home”.
Trump continuing to work at hospital
Despite his diagnosis, President Trump is continuing to work from hospital, his doctors say. The presidential suite at the Walter Reed hospital is equipped with an office.
The doctors at the Walter Reed hospital are very upbeat about President Trump’s condition. However, they don’t know how long he’ll have to stay there.
“More than anything, he’s felt run down,” Dr Conley said.
-BBC
