President Donald Trump left the hospital for a while on Sunday and took a short ride to greet his supporters. The president who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday was at Walter Reed Hospital since the same day. Trump’s decision to take a ride in his motorcade has been described as a reckless move that could endanger the lives of many people.
The president drove past a group of supporters who were in front of the hospital. He was seen in a black SUV with agents that had on masks and other protective kits. Trump’s diagnosis comes at a most inappropriate time with the election just a month away. The diagnosis has also created controversies and concerns about the leadership of the country. The president’s physicians have however stated that he is improving and will likely be allowed to leave the hospital on Monday.
Dr. Sean Conley, the White House physician, has given incomplete reports on the condition of the president since Friday. The physician has failed to say anything about the results of the scan carried out on 74-year-old Trump. The president’s medical team at Walter Reed earlier reported that his blood oxygen level plummeted twice, forcing them to give him a steroid normally given to very ill patients.
“This is unbelievable and risky, all those that drove in that vehicle will have to be quarantined for 14 days,” said Dr. James P. Phillip at Walter Reed. “They ran the risk of being infected or even dying to play Trump’s political games.”
Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, pointed out that the president’s medical team cleared him to take the ride. Deere also said that all security agents and the president had essential equipment to protect them.
There have been a string of confusing and incomplete reports about the president’s health. His medical team has failed to give any comments about the cause of the drop in the president’s blood oxygen levels or reveal the results of the lung scan carried out. Dr. Conley said that he has tried to paint an appropriate picture of the president’s condition in his statements.
“The president’s condition has improved and there is nothing to be worried about,” he said. “I have tried to show the upbeat attitude of the president, his team, and treatment in my statements but many have misinterpreted my statements. We are not hiding anything about the president’s condition. I can assure America that the president is fine.”
When asked about the drop in the blood oxygen level of the president, Sean Conley stated that the president’s levels dropped on Saturday morning and that the president was given dexamethasone, a steroid used to treat people who show signs of being very ill. He however pointed out that the president’s oxygen levels did not drop below 90%. Normally, the level of oxygen in patients should be between 95 and 100. The lowest the president’s medical team has recorded according to Sean is just below 94%.
Conley also stated that the president’s lung scan showed no red flag. The president is being treated with Remdesivir and REGN-COV2, an antibody cocktail that can be used to treat patients whose bodies cannot naturally fight off the virus. REGN-COV2 has however not been approved by the FDA for public use.
CDC guidelines state that an infected patient can only be moved when it is for a medical purpose. Before the Sunday outing, The Associated Press reported that some agents and White House officials showed concerns about the lack of regard for COVID-19 safety precautions in the White House.
Source: wral.com
