Trump's
medical status unclear as doctors say he could be
discharged on Monday
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[October 05, 2020]
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald
Trump could be discharged from the hospital where he is being treated
for COVID-19 as soon as Monday, according to his doctors, although his
condition remains unclear and outside experts warn that his case may be
severe.
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Sequestered at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside
Washington since Friday, Trump has released a series of videos in an
effort to reassure the public that he is recovering from a pandemic
that has infected 7.4 million Americans and killed more than
209,000.
"It's a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID," he
said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday.
A return to the White House might help Trump project a sense of
normalcy as he faces a difficult re-election battle against Democrat
Joe Biden.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday showed Trump trailing Biden
by 10 percentage points. About 65 percent of Americans said Trump
would not have been infected had he taken the virus more seriously.
Trump's doctors have said his health is improving and he could be
sent back to the White House as soon as Monday.
Yet they are treating Trump, 74, with a steroid, dexmethasone, that
is normally used only in the most severe cases. He is also just two
days into a five-day course of an intravenous antiviral drug,
remdesivir.
Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said on Sunday that
Trump's condition had been worse than he had previously admitted.
Conley said Trump had run a high fever on Friday morning and he had
been given supplemental oxygen after his blood oxygen levels had
dropped.
Doctors not involved in Trump's treatment said they suspected his
condition might be worse than Conley let on. As an overweight,
elderly man, Trump is in a category that is more likely to develop
severe complications or die from the disease.
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Trump has consistently downplayed the risks of the pandemic since it first
emerged this year, and he has repeatedly flouted social-distancing guidelines
meant to curb its spread.
At Walter Reed, Trump mounted a brief motorcade to wave to supporters gathered
outside the hospital on Sunday. He also said he had been meeting with soldiers
and first responders - drawing criticism that he might be exposing more
Americans to infection. He was diagnosed with the disease shortly after
appearing at a New Jersey fundraiser on Thursday.
Biden, 77, has tested negative for the disease several times since sharing a
debate stage with Trump last Tuesday. He is due to resume in-person campaigning
on Monday in Florida, where opinion polls show a tight race in a crucial
battleground for the Nov. 3 election.
Trump also is pushing to install federal judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme
Court, which would lock in a conservative majority on the nation's highest court
for years to come.
Several people present at the Sept. 26 White House ceremony where Trump
nominated Barrett have tested positive for COVID-19 - including two Republican
senators whose votes will be needed to confirm her to the high court.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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