Senin, 05 Oktober 2020

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for COVID - Daily Mail

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, 32, becomes THIRTEENTH member of Trump's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19 - so who at the White House DOESN'T have it?

  • McEnany confirmed in a statement on Monday that she had tested positive with the virus
  • Her deputy Chad Gilmartin has also tested positive, it was revealed on Monday morning 
  • She is quarantining now and is not thought to be suffering any severe symptoms
  • She tested negative after Trump's positive diagnosis; now 13 people in his inner circle have the virus 
  • Early on Monday morning, the President tweeted telling people to vote for in the upcoming election 
  • Anonymous aides said on Monday he has grown tired of watching the constant news coverage of his health 
  • He wants to leave Walter Reed and resume a full working schedule from the White House
  • There are fears among staff that if he leaves the hospital too soon, it could be detrimental to his health 
  • Officially, his staff say that he is responding well to COVID-19 treatment and will make a full recovery 
  • Trump has been criticized for leaving his hospital room on Sunday to drive past fans to say thank you   
  • He was in a presidential SUV with two members of the Secret Service wearing face masks, visors and gowns 
  • One Walter Reed doctor voiced the anger many felt, calling it 'unnecessary' and 'insanity'
  • Melania Trump is still in the White House and has no plans to leave because, aides say, she does not want to expose anyone   
  • WH staff say the agents volunteered and that he consulted doctors before he left his hospital suite 
  • CDC Director Anthony Fauci said on Monday that he was not involved in the President's hospital care 
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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has become the latest person in the President's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19. She is shown on Sunday at the White House

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has become the latest person in the President's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19. She is shown on Sunday at the White House

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has become the latest person in the President's inner circle to test positive for COVID-19, three days after Trump confirmed he'd been infected.

McEnany, 32, is now the 13th person in Trump's inner circle who has tested positive after attending the SCOTUS nomination announcement of Amy Coney Barrett in the Rose Garden on September 26.

Until the weekend, McEnany was rarely seen wearing a mask while conducting her duties. McEnany tested negative last week after the President's diagnosis. She said she has no symptoms but will begin the quarantine process.

'After testing negatively consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms,' she said in a statement posted to Twitter.

'As an essential worker, I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time. 

'With my recent positive test, I will begin the quarantine process and continue working on behalf of the American people,' she noted.

The White House staff are tested every day with rapid testing kits. McEnany's positive result was returned on Monday morning. 

It comes amid speculation over when Trump, who has been at Walter Reed Medical Center since Friday night, will return to the White House. Trump demanded to leave the hospital on Sunday and is worried it makes him look 'weak', anonymous sources cited by CNN claim. 

On Monday morning, the President fired off 19 early morning tweets reminding America to vote for him and brushed off criticism over his SUV outing. 

One source cited by CNN said: 'He is done with the hospital' and is concerned about the toll his ongoing treatment for COVID-19 might have on his election chances. 

THURSDAY - Mask free while giving her briefing
FRIDAY - Masked at the White House after news of Trumps diagnosis

THURSDAY - Mask free while giving her briefing (left) and FRIDAY (right) masked after Trump's positive diagnosis 

McEnany took her mask off to speak to reporters on Sunday.
McEnany took her mask off to speak to reporters on Sunday but she wore it while walking around

McEnany took her mask off to speak to reporters on Sunday but she wore it while walking around

McEnany was also at what is now being considered the West Wing superspreader event - the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett as Trump's Supreme Court nomination on Saturday September 26th (above)

McEnany was also at what is now being considered the West Wing superspreader event - the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett as Trump's Supreme Court nomination on Saturday September 26th (above)

Trump thinks being in the hospital makes him look 'weak', the source said.  

It comes amid claims that the President knew he had tested positive with the virus on Thursday night but kept it secret during an interview on Fox.  

Other sources cited by The Washington Post said he is s bored of staying at Walter Reed and is tired of watching round-the-clock news coverage of his condition.

He is desperate to get back to work in the White House but aides are concerned if he leaves too early, it may be more detrimental to his health. 

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Monday insisted to Fox News that Trump was in good health and made 'good progress'. Meadows said he was 'optimistic' that the President would be discharged from the hospital on Monday. 

Meadows said that a decision would be made this afternoon on whether or not Trump will be discharged but that more consultations were needed. 

He also defended Trump's outing on Sunday, as have other allies including former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Rudy Giuliani.  

CDC Director Dr. Fauci - who has butted heads with Trump on his handling of the virus - also confirmed on Monday morning that he is not involved in the President's care. 

Meadows said: 'He is ready to get back to a normal working schedule. He will meet with his doctors and nurses this morning to make further assessments of his progress.' 

In a flurry of tweets starting at 6.30am on Monday, Trump boasted about the stock markets, promised to deliver more tax cuts and listed 'pro life', 'space force', 'religious liberty' and 'law and order' as among reasons why he should win again. 

Over the weekend, Trump released several video addresses where he promised to be in good health despite his diagnosis, and the White House shared photographs of him working at the hospital. 

He claims to have been meeting some of the wounded veterans who are also being treated in the hospital. 

On Sunday night, he made a surprise appearance outside the hospital to thank fans who had turned out with signs, flags and banners wishing him a speedy recovery. Trump said he was touched by the outpouring of support and wanted to show his appreciation. 

But doctors - including one from Walter Reed - say it was irresponsible of him to get into the Presidential SUV with Secret Service agents and risk infecting them.  

Trump on Monday fired off 19 tweets in quick succession, reminding the country to vote for him

Trump on Monday fired off 19 tweets in quick succession, reminding the country to vote for him

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed attending doctor, condemned the president's Sunday afternoon drive, which violated Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.

It came as; 

Meadows slapped down the criticism on Monday morning in an interview with Fox. 

'The President expressed appreciation to some of the people outside Walter Reed yesterday. Even that was   getting criticism.

'How do we think that he got here? We came in Marine One. The agent who's been with him... we took additional precautions with PPE. 

  • White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the latest in the president's circle to contract the virus
  • Trump was criticized for going on a joy ride with Secret Service agents on Sunday, putting them at risk of exposure
  • His inner circle said the agents volunteered; anonymous former agents said they'd have never been able to say no and that it was 'reckless' 
  • Sources said he is 'bored' in the hospital and is 'done with it', desperate to get back to the White House and is worried he looks weak the longer he remains there 
  • Trump went on an early morning Twitter rampage, firing off 19 tweets in rapid fire to remind the country to vote for him 
  • Melania Trump continued to quarantine in the White House with no plans to leave or risk exposing Secret Service agents to the virus 
  • Several journalists in the White House Press Corp have now tested positive 

'A number of folks are just trying to make a big deal of that when indeed, I know that myself and some of the Secret Service detail are right there with him trying to make sure he's protected each and every day and that he returns to the White House as expeditiously as possible.' 

TRUMP'S INNER CIRCLE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID

 ATTENDED AMY CONEY BARRETT 'SUPERSPREADER' EVENT

1. President Donald Trump, 74

2. First Lady Melania Trump , 50

3. Fr. John Jenkins, 66. President of the University of Notre Dame 

4. Mike Lee, 49. Republican Utah Senator 

5. Thom Tillis, 60. Republican North Carolina Senator 

6. Kellyanne Conway, 53, Former White House Counselor to the President

7.  Chris Christie, 58. Former New Jersey Governor

8.  Kayleigh McEnany, 32. White House Press Secretary.

* Bill Barr, 70: self-isolating out of caution. 

AT EVENT BUT NOT PHOTOGRAPHED 

9. Hope Hicks, 31. Counselor to the President

10. Bill Stepien, 42. Trump's Campaign Manager

11. Nicholas Luna, 29. Chief of Oval Office Operations and 'body man'

12. Unnamed White House reporter

OTHER WHITE HOUSE CONNECTED POSITIVE TESTS

13. Ronna McDaniel, 47. Chair of the Republican National Convention

14. Ron Johnson, 65. Republican Wisconsin Senator 

REPORTERS

Michael Shear, 52. New York Times  White House correspondent. Flew on Air Force One

Unnamed White House reporter. Went to Kayleigh McEnany's Thursday October 1 briefing

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Corey Lewandowski, his former campaign manager, also defended the outing. He told Today that the agents involved volunteered to drive him and came under no duress. 

'The President wanted to thank all the supporters. The detail leader and the driver both volunteered for that assignment.' 

'They were not required to do that. 

'They volunteered. There was a piece of plexiglass between the two agents and the Preisdent.

'The President wanted to show his supporters how much he appreciated them and show that you can still continue to function with COVID-19. He's a leader. He wants to lead. This was the President out thanking his supporters for supporting him.' 

In an interview with Good Morning America on Monday morning, Dr. Phillips doubled down on his claims that it was irresponsible.

'I don't know what the benefits of this political stunt were, but I do know what the risks were.

'My concern is that perhaps the Secret Service agents were inside don't know the full risk of what they were up against.

'So far as the military and Johns Hopkins physicians who are taking care of this patient, they're excellent. But they are also under undue pressure and a lot of influence outside of that normal physician-patient relationship.

'Influence weighs heavy and when we're dealing with a highly unusual environment like  what we're in right now, the question is - and I'd love to hear the answer from some military physician folks - where does that line between that physician patient relationship come into contact with the commanding officer and subordinate relationship?'    

Doctors said the president's treatment with dexamethasone - a steroid used for patients who require extra oxygen - is the clearest sign yet that Trump may have a severe case of Covid-19. 

Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University's Emergency Medicine division, and a Covid-19 consultant specializing on how to reopen safely, said that the design of the presidential vehicle, specifically modified to protect the passengers from attacks, made the drive even more dangerous.

'That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack,' he continued.  

Trump was driven by his supporters where he waved at them from the SUV and he wore a face mask during the short trip. Critics say the brief outing was reckless and put his Secret Service agents at risk. Some anonymous former agents claimed they would have had no choice but to do it. The White House says this isn't the case, that the agents volunteered and that they were separated from Trump by plexiglass in the vehicle

Trump was driven by his supporters where he waved at them from the SUV and he wore a face mask during the short trip. Critics say the brief outing was reckless and put his Secret Service agents at risk. Some anonymous former agents claimed they would have had no choice but to do it. The White House says this isn't the case, that the agents volunteered and that they were separated from Trump by plexiglass in the vehicle 

Leaping to his defense: Rudy Giuliani and Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, on Monday went on various TV networks to defend Sunday's drive-by, which they said the Secret Service agents volunteered for
Leaping to his defense: Rudy Giuliani and Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, on Monday went on various TV networks to defend Sunday's drive-by, which they said the Secret Service agents volunteered for

Leaping to his defense: Rudy Giuliani and Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, on Monday went on various TV networks to defend Sunday's drive-by, which they said the Secret Service agents volunteered for 

'The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.

'Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,' Phillips pointed out. 

'They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.' 

The CDC website explicitly states that COVID patients should stay at home except to get medical care. 

In their section advising healthcare workers, the CDC states: 'In general, transport and movement of a patient with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection outside of their room should be limited to medically essential purposes.' 

Other doctors took issue with Trump's medical team's rosy picture of his health.

In particular, they were surprised at the suggestion that he could be discharged from Walter Reed on Monday and return to the White House.

'People can be doing OK, but it can get rocky very quickly,' said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. 

The experts told the Washington Post that Trump's medical team has withheld key information about his condition, and that he was on a 'kitchen sink' regimen of monoclonal antibodies, the anti-viral remdesivir, and steroids. 

A sign of supporter outside Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday morning. Fans have been there since Trump was admitted on Friday night

A sign of supporter outside Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday morning. Fans have been there since Trump was admitted on Friday night

Trump supporters outside Walter Reed on Monday morning. There has been a strong presence outside the hospital since Trump was admitted on Friday night

Trump supporters outside Walter Reed on Monday morning. There has been a strong presence outside the hospital since Trump was admitted on Friday night

The fans outside Walter Reed on Monday morning. Some held their hands on their hearts as they prayed for Trump's recovery

The fans outside Walter Reed on Monday morning. Some held their hands on their hearts as they prayed for Trump's recovery

Trump supporters waved American flags and Make America Great Again campaign signs outside of Walter Reed hospital on Sunday

Trump supporters waved American flags and Make America Great Again campaign signs outside of Walter Reed hospital on Sunday 

The crowds have gathered outside the hospital to cheer and shout their support to Trump on Sunday

The crowds have gathered outside the hospital to cheer and shout their support to Trump on Sunday 

 

'For someone sick enough to have required remdesivir and dexamethasone, I can't think of a situation in which a patient would be OK to leave on day three, even with the White House's medical capacity,' Robert Wachter, chairman of the University of California at San Francisco's department of medicine, told the paper. 

President Donald Trump on Sunday made a last-minute, surprise visit to his supporters outside Walter Reed Medical Center, briefing leaving his hospital room to thank the cheering loyalists.

The president was in a suit, but no protective equipment beyond his face mask.In the front passenger seat was a person wearing a gown, face mask and face shield.

It was unclear whether the driver was similarly protected. The president went into the hospital Friday evening after testing positive for the coronavirus. 

A second doctor, Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, echoed Dr Phillips' condemnation.

'By taking a joy ride outside Walter Reed the president is placing his Secret Service detail at grave risk,' he said. 

'In the hospital when we go into close contact with a COVID patient we dress in full PPE: Gown, gloves, N95, eye protection, hat. This is the height of irresponsibility.' 

And Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor who survived Ebola and is currently director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University, was shocked at the president's 'joyride'. 

'Moments after stating 'I learned a lot about COVID', the President takes a joyride in an enclosed space with presumably #COVID19 negative people, all while on experimental medications,' he said. 

Dr Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, was equally unimpressed

Dr Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, was equally unimpressed

NBC News' Peter Alexander said on Sunday night that he had asked why Melania Trump was not visiting her husband, and was told it was because she did not want anyone else to become infected.

'Reminder: A White House official, on Saturday, told me the First Lady would not be visiting Trump at Walter Reed because 'she has COVID and that would expose the agents who would drive her there,'' he tweeted. 

Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor in New York and director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia, was shocked

Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor in New York and director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia, was shocked

The White House said the president made a short trip and then returned to the presidential suite inside the hospital. 

'President Trump took a short, last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters outside and has now returned to the Presidential Suite inside Walter Reed,' White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement. 

'Appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the President and all those supporting it, including PPE. The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.'

The White House press corps issued a statement, condemning the Trump administration for not keeping them informed of his whereabouts.

They had not been warned that the president was about to leave the hospital, breaking the usual protocol of keeping the pool reporters informed. 

'It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital — even briefly — amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their president is and how he is doing,' the White House Correspondents' Association said in a statement. 

'Now more than ever, the American public deserves independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health.'  

The White House released a photo of Trump on Sunday night taking part in a phone call with his Chief of Staff, Vice President Mike Pence and the Joint Chiefs from his conference room at Walter Reed

The White House released a photo of Trump on Sunday night taking part in a phone call with his Chief of Staff, Vice President Mike Pence and the Joint Chiefs from his conference room at Walter Reed 

A crowd Trump's supporters gathered outside the Bethesda, Maryland, hospital - and many were not wearing face masks.

People wore 'Make America Great Again' paraphernalia, waved campaign signs and hoisted Americans flags.

One woman waved a 'we [heart] u Mr. Trump sign' while another man waved a 'We [heart] Trump' sign.

The president posted a video to his Twitter account shortly before his visit outside, indicating he was about to make the trip.

He also said he's been visiting soldiers at the military hospital and has learned a lot about COVID, which has infected more than seven million Americans. 

He started his short remarks by thanking the medical personnel taking care of him and added he has 'gotten to meet some of the soldiers.'

The president did not say what precautions were taken for his meetings.  

'I also think we're going to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots,' he said, hinting to his outside visit. 

'They've got Trump flags and they love our country so I'm not telling anybody but you but I'm about to make a little surprise visit so perhaps I'll get there before you get to see me.'

He said he had learned a lot about the coronavirus since he was flown by helicopter to hospital on Friday. 

'It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned by really going to school. This is the real school,' he said. 

'In the meantime, we love the USA and we love what's happening. Thank you.'

The president's doctors said Sunday that he could be discharged from Walter Reed as early as Monday.

Trump's top physician said he was given a steroid and put on oxygen, as a treatment for COVID-19.

'Our plan for today is to have him to eat and drink, be up out of bed as much as possible, to be mobile,' Dr. Brian Garibaldi, one of the doctor's on Trump's team, said. 

'And if he continues to look and feel as well as he does today, our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course.'

He also revealed that Trump would continue taking doses of Remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral medication, and dexamethasone, a steroid, whether he remains at Walter Reed or is transferred to the White House.  

Pressed about the conflicting information he and the White House released the previous day, the president's top doctor, Navy Commander Sean Conley, acknowledged that he had tried to present a rosy description of of the president's condition. 

Physician to the President Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy Commander, was forced to explain during the briefing Sunday that there was some confusion over Trump's condition because Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's comments were 'misconstrued'

Physician to the President Dr. Sean Conley, a Navy Commander, was forced to explain during the briefing Sunday that there was some confusion over Trump's condition because Chief of Staff Mark Meadow's comments were 'misconstrued'

WHAT IS DEXAMETHASONE?

Oxford University researchers in June announced steroid drug dexamethasone — which costs just over $3 for a course of treatment — cut the risk of death by up to 35 per cent for infected patients on ventilators and by a fifth for anyone needing oxygen at any point.

Following the news World Health Organization (WHO) bosses said they will update its Covid-19 treatment guidance to include dexamethasone.

The WHO wrote: 'It was tested in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom’s national clinical trial RECOVERY and was found to have benefits for critically ill patients.

'According to preliminary findings shared with WHO (and now available as a preprint), for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth.' 

It did not appear to help less ill patients.

Researchers estimated that the drug would prevent one death for every eight patients treated while on breathing machines and one for every 25 patients on extra oxygen alone. 

The steroid drug is a type of anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a wide-range of conditions.

It is given via an injection or once-a-day tablet and is sold under the brand names Ozurdex and Baycadron. 

In coronavirus patients, the steroid reduces inflammation in the lungs triggered by an overreaction by the immune system.

One in 10 symptomatic Covid-19 patients are thought to suffer from the nasty symptom, known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). 

ARDS causes the immune system to become overactive and attack healthy cells in the lungs.

This makes breathing difficult and the body eventually struggles to get enough oxygen to vital organs. 

Dexamethasone was first made in 1957 and was approved for medical use in 1961.

The steroid is also used to treat  conditions that cause inflammation, conditions related to immune system activity, and hormone deficiency.

These include:

  • allergic reactions
  • rheumatoid arthritis 
  • psoriasis 
  • lupus
  • eczema  
  • flare-ups of intestinal disease, such as ulcerative colitis 
  • multiple sclerosis
  • pre-treatment for chemotherapy to reduce inflammation and side effects from cancer medications
  • adrenal insufficiency (a condition where the adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones)

Dexamethasone is known to cause a number of mild to moderate side effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and insomnia.  

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'I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team, that the president, that his course of illness has had. Didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,' Conley said. 

'And in doing so, came off like we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true. The fact of the matter is that he's doing really well.'    

Yet medical experts on Sunday evening took issue with Conley and his team's rosy update - in particular with the suggestion that Trump could be discharged on Monday. 

Conley, a Navy Commander and physician to the president, revealed during the briefing on Sunday that Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone after a drop in oxygen levels on Saturday. 

Dexamethasone is recommended only in patients who are extremely ill, according to many guidelines, but a number of hospitals routinely give the drug to any patient who requires supplemental oxygen, if only for a few hours. 

It has not been shown to benefit those with milder forms of the disease. 

A recent study found it tends to reduce deaths from the virus among those with severe cases, but nearly a quarter of infected patients getting it with supplemental oxygen — as Trump has — still died.

Steroids in high doses and over long periods of time also can lead to serious changes in mental status that include delirium, hallucinations and confusion. 

'Over the course of his illness, the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this and whether we'd even intervene,' he said. 

'As a determination of the team, based predominantly on the timeline for the diagnosis, that we initiate dexamethasone.' 

Doctors told the New York Times they were puzzled by the drug's use. 

'The dexamethasone is the most mystifying of the drugs we're seeing him being given at this point,' said Dr Thomas McGinn, physician-in-chief at Northwell Health, the largest health care provider in New York State. 

The drug is normally not used unless the patient's condition seems to be deteriorating, he added.

'Suddenly, they're throwing the kitchen sink at him,' Dr McGinn said. 

'It raises the question: Is he sicker than we're hearing, or are they being overly aggressive because he is the president, in a way that could be potentially harmful?'  

Dr Esther Choo, a professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, said of the doctors' statements on Sunday: 'This is no longer aspirationally positive. And it's much more than just an 'abundance of caution' kind of thing.' 

Some thought that the president may be directing his own care, and demanding intense treatment despite risks he may not fully understand - something which is termed V.I.P. syndrome. 

'You think you're helping,' said Dr Celine Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the N.Y.U. Grossman School of Medicine. 

'But this is really a data-free zone, and you just don't know that.'

Asked whether CT scans showed any signs of pneumonia or lung damage, Conley replied: 'Yeah, so we're tracking all of that. There's some expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern.' He declined to elaborate. 

At another point, Sean Dooley, a pulmonary critical care doctor, said the president's 'cardiac, liver and kidney function demonstrates continued normal findings, or improving findings.' He did not disclose which of those had been subpar. 

William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University's medical school, was asked by the Washington Post about the idea of sending Trump back to the White House on Monday.

'Absolutely not,' he said. 

'I will bet dollars to doughnuts it's the president and his political aides who are talking about discharge, not his doctors.'

All pointed out that the president was being given an unusual combination of three strong treatments, with a handful of supplements and an over-the-counter drug sprinkled in. That made his quick release even more improbable, they said.

Several doctors expressed worry there is no data indicating how these treatments might react with each other, especially in an overweight 74-year-old man with a mild heart condition who is in the high risk group for severe coronavirus disease. 

Lewis Kaplan, a critical care doctor at the University of Pennsylvania and the Veteran's Administration, said this type of untested combination therapy is typically only applied as a desperate measure — when a patient is seriously ill and probably in the intensive care unit.

On the other hand, he told the Post, giving this cocktail to a sitting head of state as a preventive measure as a way to reduce the risk of a more severe course could be construed as 'reasonable.'

'And we just don't know which one reflects reality,' Kaplan said.   

How Mark Meadows infuriated Trump by telling reporters that his 'vitals are very concerning' in off-the-record health update

 

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' revelation to reporters that Donald Trump's 'vitals are very concerning' reportedly angered the president and prompted him to post an upbeat video update on his condition Saturday. 

The New York Times claimed that people close to the situation said that Trump was infuriated by the comments and acted to counteract the perception that he was very sick.    

The president uploaded the four-minute video to his Twitter page on Saturday night in which he said he was 'much better' and fighting coronavirus, as his physician gave a optimistic update on his symptoms. 

Yet earlier in the day, Meadows was caught asking to go off the record with White House reporters as an 'anonymous' source revealed the true extent of the president's condition.  

'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' Meadows told reporters on the initial condition that he not be identified. 

He was later named as the source of the quote.  

Meadows' comments came just after a White House team of doctors said that Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House. 

One doctor said Trump told them: 'I feel like I could walk out of here today.' Meadows did not clarify the discrepancy in his comments. 

A Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president was not happy to learn of Meadows' initial remarks, according to Reuters.  

Hours later, the president posted a video from the hospital where he is battling Covid-19, saying he was improving and would be 'back soon' - but acknowledging the crucial coming days would be 'the real test.

Trump attempted to reassure the public that he was not suffering severe coronavirus symptoms and called his treatment 'miracles from God' as he worked to counteract Meadows' comments. 

'I came here, wasn't feeling so well. I feel much better now,' he said from his business suite at Walter Reed military medical center. 'We're working hard to get me all the way back... I think I'll be back soon and I look forward to finishing up the campaign the way it was started.'

Appearing relaxed in an open-collar blue suit and jacket, Trump acknowledged that there was uncertainty about the course of the disease, which can hit recovering patients hard with no warning.

'I'm starting to feel good. You don't know over the next period of a few days, I guess that's the real test, so we'll be seeing what happens over those next couple of days.'

Several hours later, Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere posted a picture showing Trump working into the night from the hospital. 

The video came after Meadows' earlier comments spread and led to concern about how ill the president is, despite the optimistic updates from his personal physician. 

Meadows quickly tried to step back his words as the news spread, telling Reuters shortly afterward that Trump was doing 'very well' and that doctors were in fact pleased with his vital signs.

'The president is doing very well. He is up and about and asking for documents to review. The doctors are very pleased with his vital signs. I have met with him on multiple occasions today on a variety of issues,' Meadows said. 

He made a third comment on the president's condition to Fox News on Saturday night in which the Chief of Staff confirmed that there had been a cause for concern when the president was hospitalized on Friday evening.

The White House had said that Trump was traveling to Walter Reed Military Medical Center out of an 'abundance of caution' and would continue to work from they for a 'few days' as he underwent tests. 

'Yesterday morning he was real concerned with that. He had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly,' Meadows said to Fox's Judge Jeanie. 

Yet, he added that Trump's condition had improved. 

'He is doing extremely well. I am very, very optimistic based on the current result,' Meadows added. 

'He's made unbelievable improvement from yesterday' Meadows continued after again saying the doctors were 'very concerned'. 'We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' he added. 

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Hydroxychloroquine - an anti-malaria drug which Trump promoted in his press conferences as warding off COVID-19, and then said he was taking - is not on the list of medications his doctors said Trump is taking at Walter Reed. 

Another treatment missing from Trump's regimen arsenal is a blood thinner which is given as a standard practice these days to any hospitalized patient with COVID-19 to reduce the risk of clots. 

In the spring, many doctors were surprised to find that microclots that appear in the lungs and heart appeared to be killing some patients.Doctors speculated the president may have declined the treatment after what happened to his younger brother, Robert, who died in August due to brain bleeds. He had been taking blood thinners. 

Conley on Sunday detailed the timeline of Trump's treatment and the decision Friday to move him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just hours after the president announced that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus. 

'Thursday night into Friday morning when I left the bedside, the president was doing well with only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high 90's. 

'Late Friday morning when I returned to the bedside, president had a high fever and his oxygen level was transiently dipping below 94 per cent,' Conley said.

'Given these two developments, I was concerned for possible rapid progression of the illness,' he continued. 'I recommended the president try some supplemental oxygen.'

Conley said Trump was 'very adamant that he didn't need it. Was not short of breath. He was tired, had the fever, and that was about it.'

He said after a minute of oxygen, Trump's levels were back up above 95 per cent – but said that he kept the president's on the measure for about an hour.

Conley explained that the president's oxygen level did not dip into the 80's and reiterated that he was up and about shortly after the 'transient' episode.

Meadows received backlash Saturday after it appeared his comments on Trump's condition contradicted others' assessments, including the president's.

'The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. 

'We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery,' Meadows told reporters anonymously and it was later revealed he was the source of the remarks.

Meadows' comments came just after a White House team of doctors said that Trump's condition was improving and that he was already talking about returning to the White House.

One doctor said Trump told them, 'I feel like I could walk out of here today.'

In an update on Saturday, Conley wrote: 'This evening he completed his second dose of Remdesivir without complication. 

'He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96% and 98% all day.

'He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty. 

'While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic.

'The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of Presidential duties.'

Several hours later, Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere posted a picture showing Trump working into the night from the hospital.

The new comments from the president's medical team on Sunday comes as Trump's campaign advisers Stephen Miller and Steve Cortes claimed Sunday the president is eager to get back to campaigning even after Conley said Saturday he is not yet 'out of the woods.' 

Miller, the campaign's senior adviser, said he spoke to Trump recently and said the president told him 'he's going to defeat this virus… and our campaign is going to defeat this virus.'

'Once he gets out of the hospital, he's ready to get back to the campaign trail,' Miller told NBC's Chuck Todd during an interview on 'Meet the Press' Sunday morning. 'He sounded pretty energetic.'

'But he said something else that I thought that was important too,' Miller said, 'and that was to be careful, and that was to remind folks to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, make sure that if you can't socially distance, distance to wear a mask. 

And I thought that was a pretty important message to send and a reminder to the rest of the country.' 

Cortes, another senior campaign adviser, reiterated the president's fitness during an interview with Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'

'He's doing well,' Cortes attested.  

'We spoke to the president yesterday, we meaning senior campaign staff,' Cortes said. 

'He was as upbeat and assertive as he's ever been.'

He added: 'This president is going to recover, we are highly confident of that.'

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2020-10-05 15:43:33Z
52781097425547

Trump Covid: President criticised over drive-past - BBC News - BBC News

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  1. Trump Covid: President criticised over drive-past - BBC News  BBC News
  2. Trump health monitored after weekend of confusion  BBC News
  3. ‘This is insanity’: Walter Reed physician among critics of Donald Trump drive-by visit  The Guardian
  4. Biden is winning with undecided voters  Al Jazeera English
  5. The optimistic view: what could happen if Biden wins big  USA TODAY
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-10-05 12:54:46Z
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Iran’s delicate balancing act in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict - Al Jazeera English

Tehran, Iran – With Armenia and Azerbaijan locked in a fresh conflict over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, neighbouring Iran finds itself in a delicate balancing act, with political, historical and ethnic considerations.

Iran’s official stance, after having tried to resolve the long-running conflict in previous decades through diplomatic means, remains one of mediation, calling for an immediate ceasefire and dialogue.

Iran also recognises several United Nations resolutions that stipulate Nagorno-Karabakh, which is controlled by ethnic Armenians backed by Armenia, is part of Azerbaijan and that occupied Azeri lands must be returned.

The region broke away from Azerbaijan in a war during the late 1980s and early 1990s but is not recognised by any country as an independent country, including Armenia.

Iran, which shares borders with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, last week reassured Azerbaijan that it recognises its territorial integrity and that it holds an important place in Iranian foreign policy.

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, right, shakes hands with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev during their meeting at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017 [Iranian Presidency Office via AP]
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also had a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashynian to call for conflict resolution “through political discourse and international laws”.

However, there have been allegations that Iran supports Armenia, which in turn is supported by Russia. Recently, videos circulating on social media purportedly showed military equipment being transferred to Armenia via trucks passing through an Iranian border pass.

Iran quickly denied the allegations, saying they were “baseless rumours” aimed at smearing relations with Azerbaijan. Iranian state television broadcast footage from the Nordooz border terminal where the vehicles in question were.

They were shown to be Russian Kamaz trucks, which a local official said had been purchased by Armenia before the conflict and were being transported through Iran. The trucks were shown to be carrying vehicle parts.

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani, left, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 27, 2019 [Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP]
Meanwhile, several rockets and shelling from the Nagorno-Karabakh fighting have landed on Iranian soil, with several shells hitting a residential area close to the border for the first time, injuring a six-year-old, on Thursday.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reacted to the incident, saying the country “will not tolerate” the conflict spilling into its borders.

Geopolitical factors

The involvement of other countries in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and their relations with Iran, makes the issue even more complicated.

Israel, for instance, has developed close ties with Azerbaijan and sells Baku military equipment.

Assistant to the president of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, said last week that Azeri forces have been using Israeli-made attack drones in the conflict. In response, Armenia recalled its ambassador from Israel.

Turkey, Baku’s strongest ally in the conflict, has thrown its unequivocal supported behind Azerbaijan.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Turkey had sent Syrian fighters drawn from “jihadist groups” to fight for Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh and that it had “crossed a red line”. Turkey and Azerbaijan deny the allegations.

Considering the various and opposing vested interests in the region, Iranian politician Mohammad Javad Jamali believes resolving the conflict is now more difficult than it was before.

“We believe those who foment the killings, especially the US and Israel, would like the fires of conflict to remain aflame,” the former senior member of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission told Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Black Church, an ancient Armenian Christian place of worship, near Chaldoran 650 km (404 miles) northwest of Tehran close to the borders of Turkey and Armenia October 8, 2007 [Caren Firouz/Reuters]
According to Jamali, members of the OSCE Minsk Group, especially the United States, have failed in their stated goal of ending the conflict.

The group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the US, was formed in 1992 to reach a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Jamali believes the clash can only be resolved through peaceful means, specifically via a UN-led effort that would consider the intricate geopolitical, historical and ethnic factors involved.

“The only ones who will be hurt by this are the people of the region,” he said. “This conflict cannot go on forever in such a strategic area of the region”.

Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, a current member of the parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission, also believes the conflict cannot be resolved through anything but negotiations.

“The two countries must put an end to fighting through peaceful means and negotiations that do not include other countries, like the US and Israel, that don’t want the region to be peaceful,” he told Al Jazeera. “Fighting in the region will certainly be to the detriment of our country as well, and I believe we must work toward ending the conflict.”

‘Psychologically we are one nation’

Parts of modern-day Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey were once part of the Persian Empire, with communities spread on either side of the modern boundaries.

As a result, many of the ethnic Azeris who live across Iran, especially in the provinces of Ardabil and East Azerbaijan bordering Azerbaijan, feel a close kinship with people across the border.

“In terms of political divides and official borders we are two separate countries, but psychologically and religiously we are one nation,” says 42-year-old Soleiman, a resident of Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province.

“It’s like there’s a fight going on in your brother’s house, you would look at their problem as your problem,” he told Al Jazeera, requesting his last name be withheld to protect his privacy.

Soleiman, who was a child when Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan in a bloody conflict, agrees with the UN resolutions calling for the freeing of Azeri lands, saying that Armenian troops should withdraw immediately.

“No war anywhere in the world has ever been good for anyone, and I sincerely hope this conflict would be resolved without military fighting as soon as possible.”

Several Iranian cities are also home to Armenian communities who feel just as strongly about the long-running conflict.

“It’s not the first time that the people of Artsakh have been disturbed by Azerbaijan, the first one being in 1992, right after Artsakh was declared an independent territory,” said Tehran resident Armond Ghazarian, using the Armenian name for the contested territory.

Twenty-six-year-old Ghazarian moved to Iran with his Armenian-born wife in 1993.

He said centuries ago, the area now known as Nagorno-Karabakh was called Kachen after the Armenian family who ruled the territory.

“It breaks my heart because I know the Armenians of Artsakh want to live in peace, and Azerbaijan is the puppet that the government of Turkey is using with the intention of eventually finishing the Armenian Genocide,” Ghazarian said.

Armenia says approximately 1.5 million Armenians had been systematically murdered during and shortly after World War I by the Ottoman government, an account that is officially recognised by more than 32 governments, including the US, Russia, and Germany. Turkey vehemently denies accusations of genocide, saying a few hundred thousand Armenians had died as part of the war.

Demonstrations in Iran

In the past week, several videos were published on social media showing small demonstrations in at least four cities, including Tehran and Tabriz, in support of Azerbaijan.

“Karabakh belongs to us and will continue to belong to us,” protesters can be heard chanting in one video.

Last week, imams of Friday prayers in four predominantly Azeri provinces, namely West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardebil and Zanjan, issued a joint statement in support of Baku.

Azerbaijan is acting in “full compliance” with the law, Islamic law and four UN Security Council resolutions, they said.

Former MP Jamali said imams hold a “non-diplomatic and non-administrative” place. They usually try to reflect the views of their people and are free to express their opinions, he said.

“But certainly, the stance of the Islamic Republic is the one announced by the officials,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Indeed we respect both our neighbouring countries, especially as we have both Azeri Turkic and Armenian people in our country,” Jamali said, “and our political efforts have always been aimed at improving relations with our neighbours.”

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2020-10-05 13:01:53Z
52781084630170

PIERS MORGAN: Trump's outrageous joyride stunt proves he's learned nothing about coronavirus - Daily Mail

PIERS MORGAN: Covid-infected Trump's outrageous joyride stunt proves he's learned nothing about coronavirus and is shamefully prepared to risk Secret Service agents' lives to save his electoral skin by trying to look like a tough guy

For a few brief seconds yesterday, President Trump suggested he was finally taking coronavirus seriously.

After eight months of denial, delusion, distraction and frankly diabolical leadership during this pandemic, it seemed that catching the killer disease himself had dragged the leader of the free world to a stark moment of shuddering self-realisation.

'It's been a very interesting journey,' he said in a video message. 'I learned a lot about Covid. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't the 'let's read the books' school,' And I get it, and I understand it, and it's a very interesting thing, and I'm going to be letting you know about it.'

Yes, it was outrageously, inexcusably late for the President to be waking up and smelling the corona coffee given that over 200,000 people in America have already died.

But better late than never.

And with the virus still raging furiously across the United States, Trump's conversion to covid-believer couldn't have come at a more crucial time, assuming he meant it.

Last night Trump broke covid quarantine rules to leave his hospital suite, still infected with the virus, still on many coronavirus-battling drugs, to go for a drive so he could wave at his fans outside

Last night Trump broke covid quarantine rules to leave his hospital suite, still infected with the virus, still on many coronavirus-battling drugs, to go for a drive so he could wave at his fans outside 

The White House released a photo of Trump last night taking part in a phone call with his Chief of Staff, Vice President Mike Pence and the Joint Chiefs from his conference room at Walter Reed

The White House released a photo of Trump last night taking part in a phone call with his Chief of Staff, Vice President Mike Pence and the Joint Chiefs from his conference room at Walter Reed 

His 'I get it' speech came after reports he feared he would die from covid like one of his closest New York real estate tycoon friends had done in April.

Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman tweeted that before being taken to Walter Reed Hospital, Trump kept asking aides, 'Am I going out like Stan Chera? Am I?'

His fears were based on very real concerns by his medical team after he developed a high fever, cough and fatigue, and his oxygen levels dropped significantly.

Trump, aged 74 and obese, must have been very scared.

I know I would be in that situation.

So when his condition improved enough for him to tell the world 'I get it', I felt genuinely pleased that a) he was OK and b) his personal ordeal had at last made him confront the cold, hard truth about the lethally dangerous virus and its ability to infect and incapacitate even the most heavily protected man on Earth.

Or at least, I thought it had.

But I was wrong.

Last night Trump broke covid quarantine rules to leave his hospital suite, still infected with the virus, still on many coronavirus-battling drugs, to go for a drive so he could wave at his fans outside.

When I woke up in the UK to this news, I audibly groaned and uttered a profanity.

'What the F*CK was he thinking?' I muttered.

The answer is sadly obvious: he was thinking, once again, only of himself.

Trump knows he's in desperate trouble with his election campaign.

Trump surprised supporters last night with a brief visit, waving from the SUV as it drove past

Trump surprised supporters last night with a brief visit, waving from the SUV as it drove past

One supporter waved a 'we [heart] Trump' sign

One supporter waved a 'we [heart] Trump' sign

With just 30 days to go, he's way behind his Democrat opponent Joe Biden in the polls, and the gap has widened sharply after the chaotic first presidential debate last week in which Trump behaved like an obnoxious overgrown school bully.

So, for him to now be hospitalised with the virus he's spent most of the year playing down is Trump's absolute worst nightmare.

He knows it means the only thing anyone will now be talking about in the remaining four weeks of this election campaign is coronavirus and his dreadful handling of it.

Ironically, in his last speech before testing positive, Trump boasted the pandemic was coming to an end.

'I just want to say,' he told guests by video-link at the annual Al Smith Dinner on Thursday, 'that the end of the pandemic is in sight, and next year will be one of the greatest years in the history of our country.'

It's hard to imagine a more damaging blow to these two assertions than the President testing positive for the virus just hours later.

Especially as he was swiftly joined on the infection list by scores of his high-powered aides and political friends who attended the Rose Garden event he hosted last Sunday for his Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, where 150 people mingled, hugged and shook hands — most without masks.

Among guests who have since tested positive are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, White House counselors Hope Hicks and Kellyanne Conway, the president of the University of Notre Dame and at least two Republican lawmakers — Utah Sen. Mike Lee and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

Their collective disregard for even basic coronavirus social distancing and safety rules perfectly epitomised the Trump administration's casual refusal to take this virus seriously enough.

And it destroys the President's claim that the pandemic's nearly over.

It's self-evidently not, and the virus has now ripped through the heart of a corona-doubting government in a way that the majority of Americans believe was entirely self-deserved.

Trump's so desperate to get out of hospital and show the world he's a big, strong tough guy who's beaten covid. Hence the tub-thumping video messages, macho photos of him supposedly working (he was writing on a piece of blank paper!) and disingenuous 'he's doing great!' statements by his personal physician Dr Sean Conley

Trump's so desperate to get out of hospital and show the world he's a big, strong tough guy who's beaten covid. Hence the tub-thumping video messages, macho photos of him supposedly working (he was writing on a piece of blank paper!) and disingenuous 'he's doing great!' statements by his personal physician Dr Sean Conley 

The White House released an image of Trump working in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday

The White House released an image of Trump working in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday

A new YouGov poll reveals 59% of registered voters believe the president has 'underestimated the risks of COVID-19' and just 21% say he has 'behaved appropriately' with regard to masks and social distancing.

For all Trump's bluster to the contrary, it's clear most voters now blame him for the scale of the devastating loss of life and smashed-up economy caused by coronavirus.

And if he can't urgently change that narrative, potential electoral wipe-out lies.

That's why he's so desperate to get out of hospital and show the world he's a big, strong tough guy who's beaten covid.

Hence the tub-thumping video messages, macho photos of him supposedly working (he was writing on a piece of blank paper!) and disingenuous 'he's doing great!' statements by his personal physician Dr Sean Conley who claimed absurdly that he only said that to make sure Trump's condition didn't deteriorate, and then lied about whether the President had needed oxygen.

Now, we have the ludicrous joyride which put the lives at risk of the two other people in the car, both presumed to be Secret Service agents.

It was such an appalling spectacle that it moved prominent local medical bosses to condemn it publicly.

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed doctor, was angered by Trump's Sunday drive-by to wave at his supporters

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed doctor, was angered by Trump's Sunday drive-by to wave at his supporters

'Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,' tweeted Dr James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University's Emergency Medicine division, and a COVID-19 consultant. 'They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.'

Phillips added: 'That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.'

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed doctor, reacted with anger to the president's jaunt on Sunday night

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed doctor, reacted with anger to the president's jaunt on Sunday night

Dr Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, was equally unimpressed

Dr Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, was equally unimpressed

Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor in New York and director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia, was shocked

Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor in New York and director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia, was shocked

He was joined in his condemnation by other George Washington colleagues, including Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery, who raged: 'By taking a joy ride outside Walter Reed the president is placing his Secret Service detail at grave risk. In the hospital when we go into close contact with a COVID patient we dress in full PPE: Gown, gloves, N95, eye protection, hat. This is the height of irresponsibility.'

Dr Craig Spencer, an ER doctor who survived Ebola and is currently director of global health in emergency medicine at Columbia University, was also appalled:

'Moments after stating 'I learned a lot about COVID', the President takes a joyride in an enclosed space with presumably #COVID19 negative people,' he said, 'all while on experimental medications.'

What makes this even worse is that on the day Trump was dramatically flown to the hospital on Marine One, the US recorded another 44,000 cases of Covid-19 and 880 deaths. None of those new patients will get anything like the dedicated round-the-clock medical care available to the President amid a national emergency in which many have died alone, and patients are isolated from loved ones in crowded hospitals.

Imagine how they and their families must feel when they see their president continue to behave to recklessly?

President Trump's actions weren't just shocking and dangerous, they also directly contravened the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines which state that Covid patients should stay at home except to get medical care. 'In general,' the CDC website says, 'transport and movement of a patient with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection outside of their room should be limited to medically essential purposes.'

Obviously, there was no 'medically essential purpose' to Trump's joyride.

It was just a shameless and shameful PR move to show everyone he's 'winning' against the virus.

But he doesn't know that yet.

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught coronavirus in March and was hospitalised nine days after his diagnosis, nearly dying on an ICU ward.

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught coronavirus in March and was hospitalised nine days after his diagnosis, nearly dying on an ICU ward

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson caught coronavirus in March and was hospitalised nine days after his diagnosis, nearly dying on an ICU ward

Trump's not out of the woods yet by any means, yet he wants us to think he is and is prepared to risk lives of those charged with protecting him to prove it.

It's hard to imagine a more selfish, narcissistic act of shocking negligence.

Yet it's not the first time; Trump has repeatedly put his protection detail at unnecessary risk of covid infection throughout this crisis.

Secret Service agents know when they sign up for the job that they may have to take bullets for the President.

But they didn't sign up for the President to be the one firing the bullets at them.

'He's not even pretending to care now,' one outraged agent told the Washington Post after the joyride.

I wish President Trump a full recovery – and shame on all those vile hypocritical liberals who've been wishing him dead on social media.

But his actions last night proved he's actually learned absolutely nothing about coronavirus.

He doesn't 'get it' and never has. 

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2020-10-05 11:30:16Z
52781097425547

Why was Donald Trump REALLY given dexamethasone to treay Covid-19? - Daily Mail

Why WAS Donald Trump given dexamethasone? Top scientists fear the President has a severe bout of Covid-19 because the $6 steroid ONLY works on critically-ill patients

  • President put on course of dexamethasone over weekend after oxygen dropped 
  • Steroid only benefits most severely ill Covid-19 patients and may harm others
  • Adds to confusion about the seriousness of the 74-year-old president's health

Donald Trump is being treated with a cheap steroid that only works on severely ill coronavirus patients, sparking confusion about the true nature of the US President's condition.

Over the weekend, his medical team revealed that he had been put on a course of dexamethasone, which became the first drug scientifically proven to benefit people with Covid-19 in June.

But the Oxford University trial that made the discovery only found the £5 ($6.45) tablets were effective on patients with low oxygen levels who were on the verge of needing mechanical ventilation. 

There has been confusion about the seriousness of the president's health since he was admitted to hospital with the virus on Friday after his oxygen levels plummeted below normal levels.

Mr Trump's doctors have claimed he is now symptom-free and could even be discharged from hospital today, but this was contradicted by White House chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, who described the president's illness as 'very concerning'.  

Scientists in the UK and US have today described the decision to give Mr Trump dexamethasone as potentially 'dangerous' because it has no effect on people with mild illness and may even make their condition worse. 

Professor Paul Hunter, a medical and infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia in England, told MailOnline that giving dexamethasone to Mr Trump too early could shut down his immune system and allow the virus to cause more severe illness. He said results from trials of the steroid on Covid-19 sufferers suggested it could actually increase death in people given it prematurely.

Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist at Yale University, said the president was 'either sicker than they have let on' or his doctors were being 'irresponsible'. 

News Mr Trump is being treated with a drug reserved for the sickest of Covid-19 patients will fuel concerns about the true condition of the president, who, at 74, falls into the most at-risk age group. 

Steroids in high doses and over long periods of time also can lead to serious changes in mental status that include delirium, hallucinations and confusion. More commonly, the drugs can cause heartburn, anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and insomnia.

One eminent British medical expert, who did not want to be named, questioned whether Mr Trump's physician - Dr Sean Conley - was properly qualified to lead a team of 20 medical staff, who have different specialties, to treat the highly infectious disease. Dr Conley trained as an osteopath, which focuses on treating problems in the the muscles and joints.

They told MailOnline: 'I don't know if there is different training in the US, but in this country you wouldn't want an osteopath treating infectious diseases. You'd want a team of intensive care medics and specific infectious diseases doctors, like Boris had when he got it [Covid].'

Donald Trump is being treated with a steroid that only works on severely ill coronavirus patients, sparking confusion about the true nature of his condition (pictured yesterday driving past supporters in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center)

Donald Trump is being treated with a steroid that only works on severely ill coronavirus patients, sparking confusion about the true nature of his condition (pictured yesterday driving past supporters in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center)

The US President's medical team revealed the incumbent had been put on a course of dexamethasone, a cheap steroid that became the first drug scientifically proven to benefit people with Covid-19 in June

The US President's medical team revealed the incumbent had been put on a course of dexamethasone, a cheap steroid that became the first drug scientifically proven to benefit people with Covid-19 in June

One eminent British medical expert, who did not want to be named, questioned whether Mr Trump's physician - Dr Sean Conley (pictured) - was properly qualified to lead a team of 20 medical staff, who have different specialties, to treat the highly infectious disease

One eminent British medical expert, who did not want to be named, questioned whether Mr Trump's physician - Dr Sean Conley (pictured) - was properly qualified to lead a team of 20 medical staff, who have different specialties, to treat the highly infectious disease

Results from the RECOVERY trial showed mortality among people not on oxygen was 3 per cent higher in the patients who had dexamethasone compared to normal care. Although the scientists said this increase was not statistically significant

Results from the RECOVERY trial showed mortality among people not on oxygen was 3 per cent higher in the patients who had dexamethasone compared to normal care. Although the scientists said this increase was not statistically significant

Yesterday, Mr Trump posted an upbeat video praising his doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and claiming he was in good health. The president said his battle with the virus had been a 'very interesting journey' and that he had 'learned a lot about Covid'. 

Despite looking a little paler than normal, Mr Trump spoke energetically and did not appear to have any of the tell-tale signs of the disease, such as trouble breathing or a continuous cough.  

DEXAMETHASONE: THE $6 STEROID EXPERTS FEAR WAS GIVEN TO TRUMP TOO SOON

WHAT IS IT? 

Dexamethasone was first made in 1957 and was approved for medical use in 1961. 

The steroid drug is a type of anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a wide-range of conditions.

It is given via an injection or once-a-day tablet and is sold under the brand names Ozurdex and Baycadron. 

WHAT EFFECT DOES IT HAVE ON COVID PATIENTS? 

An Oxford University study of the drug, known as the RECOVERY trial, found it reduced deaths by one-third among patients on mechanical ventilators and by one-fifth among patients receiving oxygen.

The RECOVERY trial saw a total of 2,104 patients randomised to receive 6mg of dexamethasone once a day, either by mouth or by intravenous injection for 10 days.

Their outcomes were compared with 4,321 patients given standard care alone, which involves painkillers and, in some cases, antibiotics.

For patients on ventilators, the drug cut the risk of death from 40 per cent to 28 per cent. In patients who required oxygen, the risk was reduced from a quarter to a fifth.

HOW DOES IT STOP COVID? 

The steroid reduces inflammation in the lungs triggered by an overreaction by the immune system.

It does this by suppressing the immune system and preventing it from going into overdrive - which triggers inflammation. 

One in 10 symptomatic Covid-19 patients are thought to suffer from the nasty symptom, known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). 

ARDS causes the immune system to become overactive and attack healthy cells in the lungs.

This makes breathing difficult and the body eventually struggles to get enough oxygen to vital organs.   

WHAT ARE THE RISKS/SIDE EFFECTS? 

Dexamethasone is known to cause a number of mild to moderate side effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and insomnia.

Steroids in high doses and over long periods of time also can lead to serious changes in mental status that include delirium, hallucinations and confusion.

Results from the RECOVERY trial showed mortality among people not receiving oxygen was 3 per cent higher in patients who had dexamethasone compared to normal care. Although the scientists said this increase was not statistically significant.

WHAT ELSE DOES IT TREAT? 

The steroid is also used to treat  conditions that cause inflammation, conditions related to immune system activity, and hormone deficiency.

These include:

  • allergic reactions
  • rheumatoid arthritis 
  • psoriasis 
  • lupus
  • eczema  
  • flare-ups of intestinal disease, such as ulcerative colitis 
  • multiple sclerosis
  • pre-treatment for chemotherapy to reduce inflammation and side effects from cancer medications
  • adrenal insufficiency (a condition where the adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones)
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Trump is given experimental antibodies from mice that are NOT available to the public, remdesivir which is in short supply across globe and Vitamin D 

As well as dexamethasone, Mr Trump has been given an experimental coronavirus antibody cocktail not available to the public as part of his treatment for coronavirus. 

The cocktail, developed by US drug maker Regeneron, is also starting to be used in recovery trials in the UK and was described as 'very positive and very potent' by an Oxford professor this morning.

The president has been taking other treatments including remdesivir, zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin.

However, it is the cocktail which experts hope will be the key to his recovery, with Regeneron's latest data from the ongoing trials showing the drug drove down the viral loads of patients who were not hospitalised, and cut their recovery times by nearly half.

It contains an antibody made by the company from mice, and another isolated from a recovered Covid-19 patient - each of which may help to neutralise coronavirus. 

But it's very much an experimental treatment, and the data announced earlier this week are the first published from the trial. 

Two patients treated with the antibody cocktail had 'adverse events' - undesirable side effects. One of those was a 'serious' adverse event, but Regeneron did not reveal details of what happened to the patient, who received a low dose of the drug.

Dr Sean Conley, Trump's physician, wrote in a White House memo yesterday: 'Following PCR-confirmation of the President's diagnosis, as a precautionary measure, he received a single 8 gram dose of Regneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail.' 

Peter Horby, professor of emerging diseases at Oxford University, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that the drug was safe and that just one treatment could provide protection for up to six weeks, before then potentially being topped up again.

He said: 'It's an artificial antibody, a cocktail of two antibodies, designed so it binds strongly to a protein on the surface of the virus.

'That helps prevent the virus from attaching to cells, entering the cells and replicating, and it also helps our own immune system to attack and kill the virus.

'This class of drugs have been around for quite a while now and they're extensively used in inflammatory conditions and cancers and they're pretty safe and well understood.

'The technology is something we have confidence in. This particular drug has probably been given to four or five hundred mild or severe patients in different trials and so far there have been no worrying safety signals.

'It's very promising, it's very potent. In the laboratory in cell cultures it has a very strong effect against the virus and there have been some studies in artificially infected animals where it also shows benefits, so of the drugs that are available it's one of the most promising.

'We have it in the recovery trial in the UK, we started that over the last weekend and it's available in about three hospitals in the north. We're hoping to roll it out next week to another 30 to 40 hospitals.

'It's anti-viral so it will work in patients in whom the virus is still replicating, so it could be used at any stage of the disease and for any age group.

'There's a phenomenon where the response to vaccines is poorer as you get older, whereas these class of drugs have a very long half-life, and you can have just one treatment which can provide protection for a month or longer, so in that sense they're quite attractive for the older population.

'One dose will give you prolonged protection if it works. It would do you for a month to six weeks because the antibodies have quite a long life in the body before they're removed. 

'It won't be as long as a vaccine but it would give you some protection for quite a period. It could be [topped up every six weeks].'

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Dr Conley told reporters yesterday that Mr Trump could be discharged from hospital later today and may be allowed to continue his treatment back at the White House.

But Mr Christakis said he would be 'mystified' if the president was out of hospital on Monday, adding: 'It doesn't fit all the other facts of his condition, as disclosed. And it sets up bad optics or bad medical care.'

The Yale expert continued: 'If he is not discharged, it will signal that he is not doing as well as hoped or has had a reversal of his claimed trajectory. Of course [the] White House has medical facilities, but a return to hospital after discharge, if required soon, would be bad medicine and bad politics.'

Mr Trump was suffering from a high fever on Friday when he was first admitted, doctors said at the time, and twice his oxygen saturation levels dropped to 93 per cent over the weekend - the usual range being 95 to 100 per cent. 

Some medics consider patients to have severe Covid-19 if their oxygen levels drop below 94 per cent, but others put the threshold at 90. Physicians said the incumbent was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday and revealed he was put on a course of dexamethasone. 

Experts have questioned whether they had given him dexamethasone too quickly, or whether the president was far sicker than has been publicly acknowledged.  

Mr Christakis said on Twitter: 'Either he is sicker than they have let on and clearly warrants dexamethasone, or he's not so sick, and therefore putting him on dexamethasone is irresponsible.

'I think [Mr Trump] is probably sicker (and for longer) than they are telling us. And if, as a 74 year old obese man, he has gotten that sick this fast, there is a high chance that he will continue to worsen. He could be in ICU within 48 hrs. It is hard to say given lack of transparency.'  

Professor Peter Openshaw, an expert in experimental medicine at Imperial College London and a member of the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, described the decision to put Trump on dexamethasone as 'unusual', if his illness is as mild as the president's doctors claim.

He told the Guardian: 'It's normally reserved for people who have had symptoms for a week or more and who are going into respiratory failure. It would be unusual to be starting steroids with a relatively short duration of illness.' 

Dr Thomas McGinn, the physician-in-chief at Northwell Health, the largest health care provider in New York State, told the NY Times: 'The dexamethasone is the most mystifying of the drugs we're seeing him being given at this point.

'It raises the question: Is he sicker than we're hearing, or are they being overly aggressive because he is the president, in a way that could be potentially harmful?'

The World Health Organization (WHO) says dexamethasone should only be given to patients with 'severe and critical Covid-19' - guidance which appears to be open to interpretation.

The National Institutes of Health goes one step further, specifying that the drug is only for people who require a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe, or who need oxygen support.

An Oxford University study of dexamethasone found the cheap steroid only helped those who had been sick for more than a week. Mr Trump is thought to have only picked up the virus late last week.

The RECOVERY trial, which involved 6,000 Covid-19 patients, found the steroid reduced the risk of death by one-third among patients on mechanical ventilators and by one-fifth among patients receiving oxygen.

The discovery saw the UK Government immediately approve the steroid to be available on the NHS the next day. 

But the drug — given as either an injection or once-a-day tablet on the NHS — had no benefit for people who were hospitalised with the virus but did not require oxygen.

Professor Hunter said there was some evidence it may increase deaths in people who take it too early, although researchers were not able to prove it beyond doubt. 

Professor Hunter told MailOnline: 'It's not just irresponsible to give dexamethasone too early, it's dangerous. 

'I do not know what other factors may have effected the decision to use dexamethasone if it was indeed used, but clearly I do not have access to special knowledge about the presidents current health status.'

The East Anglia University expert added: 'Steroids like dexamethasone suppress your immune system. For viruses like Covid-19, this has a good side and a bad side. 

'The damage and deaths in most patients is not because of the virus itself, it's because of the immune system fighting the virus.

'For some people the immune system does not go into overdrive and manages to beat the virus. 

'But in other, the immune system goes absolutely crazy, which causes deadly blood clots to form everywhere. It's only these people who should be given steroids.

'If you give steroids too early, you suppress the immune system at the point it might be doing more harm than good.'

Professor Hunter's concerns about dexamethasone stem from results of the RECOVERY trial, which found mortality rates among patients not receiving oxygen was 3 per cent higher in the patients who had dexamethasone compared to normal care.

The steroid prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation, a nasty Covid-19 complication that makes breathing difficult. In seriously unwell patients, the lungs become so inflamed they struggle to work.

But it comes with a host of side effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and insomnia - all of which could be made worse in older, vulnerable patients with weakened immune systems.

Dexamethasone, first created in the 1950s, is usually given to treat ulcerative colitis, arthritis and some types of cancer. 

It is already licensed and proven to be safe, meaning it can be used in human patients immediately, and is a generic drug, meaning it can be manufactured cheaply and en masse by companies all over the world. 

Scientists said that up to 5,000 lives could have been saved in the UK if they had known about the effectiveness of the drug at the start of the pandemic. 

Mr Trump's physician, Dr Sean Conley, told reporters outside the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland on Sunday that the president could be discharged from hospital as soon as Monday as he continues to recover from coronavirus.

Dr Conley said: 'Thursday night into Friday morning when I left the bedside, the president was doing well, with only mild symptoms and his oxygen was in the high 90s.

'Late on Friday morning when I returned to the bedside, the president had a high fever and his oxygen levels were transiently dipping below 94 per cent.

'Given these two developments, I was concerned about rapid progression of the illness. I suggested we try some supplemental oxygen, to see how he'd respond.

'He was fairly adamant he didn't need it. He was not short of breath, he was just tired and he had the fever - that was about it.'

Dr Conley was also quizzed on why on Saturday he refused to admit the president had been given supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday, when his chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters medics were 'very concerned' about his vital signs before he arrived at Walter Reed.

He said he was 'trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team' and 'didn't want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction'.

Dr Conley added that 'in doing so, [it] came off like we were trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true'.

Former UK US ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer today accused the White House of giving 'conflicting messages' about Mr Trump's health.  

The RECOVERY trial saw a total of 2,104 patients randomised to receive 6mg of dexamethasone once a day, either by mouth or by intravenous injection for 10 days.

Their outcomes were compared with 4,321 patients given standard care alone, which involves painkillers and, in some cases, antibiotics.

For patients on ventilators, the drug cut the risk of death from 40 per cent to 28 per cent. In patients who required oxygen, the risk was reduced from a quarter to a fifth.

Professor Martin Landray, lead researcher, said dexamethasone could have saved up to 5,000 lives if it was used throughout the UK's crisis. 

He said: 'If you were to design a drug that treats coronavirus, this would be exactly how you'd hope it works.' 

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2020-10-05 10:34:08Z
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Coronavirus: Ireland could enter second lockdown amid ICU bed shortage warning - Sky News

Ireland could enter a second national lockdown after the country's health service recommended it moved to Level 5 of its coronavirus plan.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin and the leaders of his two coalition partners will meet the chief medical officer ahead of a cabinet meeting this morning, two government sources have said.

Under Level 5, people are asked to stay at home, except to exercise within five kilometres, and only essential retailers will be allowed to stay open.

However, schools and crèches will not have to close.

Dr Mary Favier, a member of Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), said the country could see between 1,500 and 2,000 cases a day by next month if strict measures are not imposed.

She also warned Ireland could be without ICU beds by that time if the surge in cases continues.

"If we keep going on the current trajectory, by the beginning of November we will have 1,500 to 2,000 cases a day and we will potentially not have ICU occupancy," she told RTE's Morning Ireland.

More from Covid-19

"The reality is that if things keep going as they are, if you or I had a bad road traffic accident in November or needed emergency cardiac surgery, there might not be an intensive care bed for you or I."

But HSE chief executive Paul Reid, who does not sit on NPHET, warned of the impacts of a second lockdown.

A notice about coronavirus is pictured as pub doors are locked in the Temple Bar area, as bars across Ireland close voluntarily to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Dublin, Ireland, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Lorraine O'Sullivan
Image: A health expert has warned about the effects of a second lockdown

"There's obvious concerns about the trends on #COVID19. But we also know the impacts of severe & regular restrictions in society on the public health, wellbeing, mental health and the economy," he wrote on Twitter.

"Level 5 recommendation to Government has to be considered in this context too. @HSELive."

Most of Ireland is currently under Level 2 restrictions, with stricter Level 3 measures in Dublin and Donegal.

On Saturday, the country reported its highest number of daily cases since late April and the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital has risen steadily to 132.

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Ireland's two-week case rate of 104.6 per 100,000 people is only the 14th-highest infection rate out of 31 European countries monitored by the European Centre for Disease Control.

However, Ireland has a relatively low hospital bed capacity compared with other European countries.

Ireland's main business lobby, Ibec, has called for the evidence underpinning the advice to be published.

"It is intolerable that after six months we are still receiving both vague and changing criteria to advance such serious restrictions," Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy said in a statement.

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2020-10-05 09:16:48Z
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Trump tells advisors he is getting bored in hospital with coronavirus - Daily Mail

Trump tells advisors he is getting bored in hospital and is fed up with watching coverage of his treatment - as aides fear he will relapse and return to Walter Reed if he leaves too early

  • Trump wants to return to White House today after doctors floated the possibility
  • Some aides worry that an early discharge is a 'political decision' before election
  • Advisors worry that his symptoms could relapse, forcing him back into hospital 

Donald Trump is getting 'bored' in the Walter Reed hospital and 'tiring' of watching TV coverage of his Covid-19 infection, his advisors say. 

The president has told aides he wants to return to the White House as early as today after doctors floated the possibility of a Monday discharge. 

But according to the Washington Post, some advisors see the possible return to the White House as a 'political decision' just weeks before the election. 

Trump's aides are also worried that an early release could backfire if his symptoms relapse and he is forced to return to Walter Reed, it is claimed. 

Donald Trump (pictured posing for a photo at the Walter Reed hospital) has reportedly told aides he wants to return to the White House on Monday

Donald Trump (pictured posing for a photo at the Walter Reed hospital) has reportedly told aides he wants to return to the White House on Monday 

Two people close to Trump told the New York Times that the president had been 'hankering' to be discharged. 

The president has been 'exasperated' by TV coverage of his illness and speculation about him transferring powers to Vice President Mike Pence, aides said. 

Some aides fear that Trump will pressure his doctors to release him by misleading them about how well he feels, it is claimed. 

Advisors are also worried that raising hopes of a Monday release will lead to concern about his condition if he is not in fact discharged today.    

Trump's medical team said on Sunday that the president 'continued to improve' two days after he was dramatically airlifted from the White House. 

White House physician Sean Conley also acknowledged for the first time that Trump had been given oxygen after a 'rapid progression' of his illness. 

Confusion has reigned over mixed messages from the White House after Conley's upbeat assessment on Saturday was soon followed by another claim that Trump's condition was 'very concerning'. 

Medics also appeared to contradict the White House timeline about when Trump was infected, before hastily backtracking.  

Trump, 74, said in a Sunday video that he had 'learned a lot about Covid' by 'really going to school' as he battled the virus. 

The president then caused further controversy by briefly leaving the hospital and waving to supporters from a bulletproof car. 

Health experts took to the airwaves and social media to criticize the 'stunt,' which they said demonstrated that he had learned nothing at all. 

'Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,' said James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University. 

'They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.' 

White House spokesman Judd Deere said 'appropriate' precautions had been taken to protect Trump and his support staff, including protective gear.

'The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do,' he added.

Trump caused controversy on Sunday by waving to supporters from a motorcade (pictured) despite being infectious

Trump caused controversy on Sunday by waving to supporters from a motorcade (pictured) despite being infectious 

Trump supporters, some of them wearing masks, hold up flags as they rally outside the Walter Reed Medical Center in support of the president

Trump supporters, some of them wearing masks, hold up flags as they rally outside the Walter Reed Medical Center in support of the president 

But Zeke Emanuel, chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, described the appearance as 'shameful.' 

'Making his Secret Service agents drive with a Covid-19 patient, with windows up no less, put them needlessly at risk for infection. And for what? A PR stunt,' he said.

Trump has flouted mask-wearing and social distancing rules throughout the pandemic, while his family did not wear masks at last Tuesday's debate. 

As well as Trump and Hicks, numerous White House insiders and at least three Republican senators have contracted Covid-19, along with first lady Melania Trump, who has not experienced severe symptoms.

Public health experts have expressed alarm at the 'White House cluster' that has been linked to Trump's Supreme Court nomination in the Rose Garden a week ago.  

As well as oxygen, Trump has been treated with dexamethasone, a steroid used to treat inflammation in other diseases. 

On Saturday, the president was started on a five-day course of intravenous antiviral drug remdesivir, which is sold by Gilead Sciences. 

Doctors have said that both of these drugs makes sense early in the course of illness to prevent it from getting worse, but dexamethasone is generally reserved for people whose condition has deteriorated.   

'We give dexamethasone to patients who require supplemental oxygen,' said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University. 

'The biggest question would be is there a risk of deterioration, or is he on a good trajectory?' Dr. Adalja said. 

Trump spoke in a video on Sunday night where he said he had 'really been to school' as he battled the coronavirus

Trump spoke in a video on Sunday night where he said he had 'really been to school' as he battled the coronavirus 

The president's deputy campaign manager Jason Miller told ABC on Sunday that he had spoken to Trump for half an hour and that the president was 'cracking jokes'.  

Dr. David Battinelli, chief medical officer at New York's Northwell Health, said 'it's entirely plausible' that Trump could get discharged on Monday, but cautioned that a full recovery would take time.

'It would be very unlikely for him to be out and about, and on the campaign trail in less than 14 days,' he said. 

With less than a month until the election, the president's hospitalization has sidelined him from the campaign as he tries to overhaul Joe Biden's poll lead. 

Biden - who announced his latest negative test for the virus on Sunday - will start the week with a trip to key swing state Florida on Monday. 

One poll released at the weekend gave Biden a 14-point lead in the election, while another showed him well ahead in the key state of Pennsylvania. 

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sunday showed no signs of a sympathy vote, with Biden retaining a strong lead even after Trump's infection. 

The poll found that 65 per cent of Americans, including 50 per cent of registered Republicans, agreed that 'if President Trump had taken coronavirus more seriously, he probably would not have been infected.' 

Only 34 per cent said they thought that Trump has been telling them the truth about the coronavirus, while 55 per cent said that he was not and 11 per cent were unsure.

If Trump's condition worsens, the 25th Amendment would allow Mike Pence to take power temporarily.

This procedure has been used before by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, but only for scheduled surgeries for a few hours at a time. 

If Trump had to be replaced on the ballot, it would be up to the Republican Party to choose a new nominee. 

However, this would cause huge complications because many ballots have already been sent out and returned by mail.  

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2020-10-05 07:34:14Z
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