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President Donald Trump Doing Well at Walter Reed, says ‘I feel like I could walk out of here today,’ Doctors Report
President Donald Trump is doing “very well” about 72 hours into his diagnosis with COVID-19, said the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, at a press conference late Saturday morning.
Trump as of Saturday morning is not on oxygen and does not have a fever, Conley said alongside a group of physicians outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president was taken Friday as a precautionary measure.
Conley’s statement of “72 hours” raises questions about the timeline of Trump’s diagnosis. The president announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump were positive just before 1 a.m. Friday.
The president has been fever-free for more than 24 hours, but Trump did have a fever Thursday into Friday, Conley said. On Saturday morning, Trump is up and walking around in, physicians said.
Physicians provided the update on the president’s health Saturday morning from outside Walter Reed. About 48 hours ago, Trump received a “special antibody therapy directed against the coronavirus,” Dr. Brian Garibaldi said, and has received a first dose of Remdesivir. The plan is to keep the president on a five-day treatment course of the drug, Garibaldi said.
Trump is in “great spirits,” Garibaldi said,” and the plan for the day is to encourage him to eat, drink and stay out of bed.
Another physician, Dr. Sean Dooley, said Trump is in “exceptionally good spirits.”
“In fact, as we were completing our multidisciplinary rounds this morning, the quote he left us with was ‘I feel like I could walk out of here today,’ and that was a very encouraging comment from the president,” Dooley said.
Trump’s cardiac, kidney and liver are all functioning normal, Dooley said. Physicians continue to monitor Trump for any possible complications of the virus.
Conley added that Hydroxychloroquine was discussed and asked about by the president but Trump is not on the drug.
More than anything, Conley said, the president has felt rundown. On Thursday, Trump had a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue, Conley said, all symptoms that are improving.
Reporters outside Walter Reed repeatedly asked Conley if Trump had received any oxygen at all. Conley continued to say only that Trump has not been on oxygen Saturday morning.
The president and First Family are grateful for the support and prayers, Conley said.
Trump’s positive test followed a debate with candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday and a ceremony on Saturday announcing Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. That ceremony was held outdoors, though attendees sat close together and few wore masks.
Following Trump’s diagnosis, several advisers and allies have tested positive for the virus. Former White House counselor 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, have reported positive tests.
Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, also reported a positive test on Saturday morning.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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