'Trump, Is He Okay?' Prescribed Severe Treatment Again... Primary Doctor Says "May Be Discharged as Early as Tomorrow"

Mild Symptoms Initially... Prescribed Dexamethasone Following Remdesivir
Oxygen Saturation Also a Concern... Temporarily Fell Below Normal Range
Biden Tests Negative in Both Tests

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Controversy surrounding the condition of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), continues to simmer as it has been revealed that he was prescribed another severe treatment following Remdesivir. The president's physician stated that President Trump’s condition has improved enough for him to possibly be discharged as early as the 5th, but questions remain as treatments to raise oxygen saturation levels are being administered, suggesting his condition might still be serious. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate and Trump's rival, reportedly tested negative in two COVID-19 tests as of this day.

According to foreign media including CNN on the 4th (local time), Dr. Sean Conley, President Trump's physician, and medical staff held a press conference at Walter Reed Military Hospital where Trump is hospitalized, stating, "President Trump took dexamethasone, a steroid used in COVID-19 treatment, yesterday morning," and "After testing positive for COVID-19, his blood oxygen saturation temporarily dropped, requiring oxygen supplementation twice." Dr. Conley had previously said the day before that "President Trump is showing only mild symptoms such as low-grade fever, cough, and fatigue," but this admission acknowledges that his condition was more severe than initially mentioned within a day.

Attention is focused on the dexamethasone administered to President Trump. This medication, along with Remdesivir, is recognized by U.S. and European Union (EU) health authorities as a treatment for severe COVID-19 cases. It reduces mortality by about 35% in severe patients dependent on oxygen ventilators and by about 20% in patients receiving oxygen supplementation. Previously, the American Infectious Diseases Society stated that dexamethasone has not been proven effective for mild cases and may even be harmful due to its side effect of suppressing the human immune response. The World Health Organization (WHO) also advised that this treatment should only be given to "critically or severely" ill COVID-19 patients, warning against steroid use in non-severe cases as it may be ineffective or even harmful.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Trump reportedly received intensive treatment for severe cases, including two courses of Remdesivir and an antibody cocktail treatment developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Regeneron, along with dexamethasone. This can be interpreted as indicating that President Trump's condition is worse than the official statements from the medical staff suggest.

Oxygen saturation is also a subject of controversy. Oxygen saturation indicates the percentage of hemoglobin in the blood bound to oxygen and generally ranges from 95% to 100%. If it falls below 90%, hypoxemia occurs, and mortality rates are known to be very high when it drops below 80%. According to The New York Times (NYT), Dr. Conley emphasized at the press conference that "President Trump's oxygen saturation dropped to 93% but never fell to the 80% range, and it is currently at 98%," stressing that his condition is not critical.

Attention is again drawn to remarks made by Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff, who spoke negatively about President Trump's health the day before. Meadows stated at a press conference, "The president's health was very concerning over the past 24 hours," and "The next 48 hours will be critical for his treatment," implying that President Trump was in a serious condition, contrary to Dr. Conley's statements.

Many evaluations suggest that President Trump's future condition cannot be assured. Even if he is discharged soon according to the physician's announcement, it is difficult to be 100% optimistic about his subsequent condition. Helen Boucher, head of infectious diseases at Tufts University Hospital, told Politico, "The start of the second week after COVID-19 infection is a stage that requires special attention," noting that conditions typically worsen 7 to 10 days after infection. Another expert said, "Even if he seems fine, his condition could worsen severely within just three hours."

Meanwhile, Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate who had a heated exchange with President Trump during the first U.S. presidential debate on the 29th of last month, tested negative for COVID-19 in a PCR test on this day. He had also tested negative on the 2nd.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.