President Trump and First Lady Test Positive for Covid-19
President Trump announced on Friday that he and the first lady have tested positive for the coronavirus, days after the presidential debate with Joe Biden.
Early at 1 a.m. on Friday, Trump announced his and Melania Trump’s diagnosis. The last time Trump was seen in public he was returning to the White House from a fundraiser in New Jersey.
After Trump’s tweet, a memo was released by his physician, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley wrote that he received confirmation of the positive coronavirus test on Thursday night.
“Rest assured I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any further developments,” said Conley.
News of Trump’s positive test of coronavirus is only a few days after Hope Hicks, the president’s communication director was tested positive illness. Since announcing Trump’s diagnoses, the White House has canceled several events, specifically a fundraiser in Washington and a campaign rally in Florida.
The Trump administration launched Operation MAGA, a series of virtual events for Trump supporters to attend in the meantime until the vice presidential debate on Wednesday.
Trump has mild symptoms with a fever and congestion. On Friday, Trump was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the president’s medical team stated that he started taking remdesivir, which is an antiviral drug to help Covid-19 patients.
The president’s medical team also said that Trump was prescribed dexamethasone on Saturday while under the medical center’s care. The drug is a steroid used to lower an immune system overreaction that has killed many Covid-19 patients.
This suggests to many disease experts that Trump has a severe case of Covid-19. Also considering that Trump is a 74-year old man and with an underlying medical condition, specifically obesity, he is at an increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19.