HomeNewsWorldDonald Trump was given supplemental oxygen, could be discharged on October 5, says his doctor

Donald Trump was given supplemental oxygen, could be discharged on October 5, says his doctor

Trump, 74, and his wife First Lady Melania Trump, 50, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, a development that upended the Republican leader's election campaign just weeks before the presidential polls on November 3.

October 05, 2020 / 08:29 IST
File image

US President Donald Trump's blood oxygen level dropped twice in recent days and he was given supplemental oxygen, the White House physician said on Sunday, asserting that his "condition has improved" since then and he could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday.

Trump, 74, and his wife First Lady Melania Trump, 50, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, a development that upended the Republican leader's election campaign just weeks before the presidential polls on November 3.

Trump was flown to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, on Friday.

"Late Friday morning, when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen saturation was transiently dipping below 94 per cent," White House physician Dr Sean Conley told reporters outside the hospital on Sunday.

After this the president was given supplemental oxygen for about an hour on Friday. He also experienced a drop in oxygen level on Saturday, but the doctors said he wasn't sure whether Trump was given supplemental oxygen a second time.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

"I'd have to check with the nursing staff. I don't think that - if he did, it was very, very limitedAnd the only oxygen that I ordered, or that we provided, was that Friday morning, initially," he said.

Conley said that there has been improvement and the president has no fever since Friday. He could be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday, he added.

He said the president was given dexamethasone, a steroid, after his blood oxygen level dipped on Saturday.

In a video posted late Saturday, Trump said he has started to "feel much better" and thanked the American people and global leaders for their support.

"I came here. Wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now. We're working hard to get me all the way back. I have to be back because we still have to Make America Great Again, Trump said in the video message from the military hospital in a suburb of Washington on Saturday.

President Trump is feeling very well, but will stay hospitalised, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said. on Sunday.

Conley earlier said the president is "not yet out of the woods".

"While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic, he said, adding that the plan for Sunday is to continue observation in between doses of Remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of presidential duties.

Conley, in a memorandum issued late Saturday night, said the president had received Regeron's antibody cocktail on October 2.

"President Trump continues to do well, having made substantial progress since diagnosis," Conley said, adding that the president completed his second dose of Remdesivir without complications.

Conley said the president remains fever free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98 per cent all day.

The president, he said, spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suit without difficulty.

In the video message, that lasted for a little over four minutes and was posted by Trump on Twitter, the president asserted that he has to come back to win the election and complete the job.

"We still have steps to go and we have to finish that job. And I'll be back. I think I'll be back soon. I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started and the way we've been doing," he said.

The president said he is fighting the virus and expressed hope to beat it.

We've been so proud of it. But this was something that happened and it's happened to millions of people all over the world and I'm fighting for them. Not just in the US, I'm fighting for them all over the world. We're going to beat this coronavirus or whatever you want to call it. And we're going to beat it soundly, Trump said.

Trump said the therapeutics which he is taking are nothing less than miracles.

"People criticize me when I say that, but we have things happening that look like they're miracles coming down from God. So, I just want to tell you that I'm starting to feel good, he said.

However, he said the next few days are going to be the real test.

So, we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days. I just want to be so thankful for all of the support I've seen, whether it's on television or reading about it. I, most of all appreciate, what's been said by the American people, by almost a bipartisan consensus of American people. It's a beautiful thing to see. I very much appreciate it. And I won't forget it promise you that, he said.

The president also thanked the leaders of the world for their well-wishes. They know what we're going through. They know what as your leader, what I have to go through. But I had no choice because I just didn't want to stay in the White House, he said.

Trump also said he was given the alternative to be under lockdown in the White House, staying in his bedroom and not to go even to the Oval Office.

Asserting that he can't do that, Trump said he had to be out front.

"This is America. This is the United States. This is the greatest country in the world. This is the most powerful country in the world. I can't be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe and just say, Hey, whatever happens happens. I can't do that. We have to confront problems as a leader, you have to confront problems, he said.

Trump further said the First Lady, who had also tested positive for coronavirus is doing well at the White House.

PTI
first published: Oct 4, 2020 11:41 pm

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Subscribe to Tech Newsletters

  • On Saturdays

    Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.

  • Daily-Weekdays

    Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347