Trump diagnosed COVID-19 positive '72 hrs ago'

President Donald Trump on Friday was administered supplemental oxygen at the White House hours after announcing that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and before being flown to a military hospital. The administration has consistently been less than transparent about the president’s health as the virus spread inside the White House. Aides had declined to share basic health information about the president, including a full accounting of his symptoms, what tests he’s undertaken and the results. The first word that a close aide to Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House.

New York: White House physician Sean Conley announced on Saturday that US President Donald Trump is "just 72 hours into the diagnosis" while Trump announced it only at 12:54 am on October 2.

Going by Conley's "72 hours" remark, it would mean that Trump was diagnosed positive much earlier this week and likely during a big rally in Duluth.

A person familiar with Trump’s condition confirmed that Trump was given oxygen at the White House, after the president's physician, Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, sidestepped the question at a press briefing Saturday. Conley said Trump was not administered oxygen on Thursday or since he has been a patient at Walter Reed Medical Center.

According to a person familiar with Trump’s condition, some of Trump's vital signs over the past 24 hours were “very concerning". The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care.

Trump was transported to the Walter Reed Hospital on Friday and is scheduled to stay there for "a few days" on need basis, according to the White House.

"At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the President has made since Thursday. He had a mild cough and some nasal congestion and fatigue, all of which are now resolving and improving," Conley said.

The team of doctors announced that Trump's cardiac function and kidney function are normal.

"The President this morning is not on oxygen, not having difficulty breathing or walking around with the White House medical unit upstairs," the physician said.

Conley reported that the hospital plans to complete a five-day treatment course for Remdesivir. Trump has already got the first dose.

The "big plan for today" is for Trump to "eat, drink and stay hydrated".

On the basis of the three memos released by Trump's Press Secretary, we also know that Trump was injected with Regeneron, a polyclonal antibody cocktail. Regeneron has not yet been approved by the FDA as a treatment for Covid-19.

IANS