Trump’s doctor backtracks on president’s Covid-19 timeline as reports say he had supplemental oxygen on Friday
Donald Trump’s top doctor walked back comments made on Saturday morning about the president’s health, including when he first tested positive for Covid-19, after a team of physicians appeared to dodge questions about whether he received supplemental oxygen after contracting the novel virus.
White House physician Sean Conley released a statement after speaking with reporters that sought to clarify his previous comments, in which he suggested the president received his Covid-19 diagnosis “72 hours” earlier on Wednesday.
Had the president been diagnosed on Wednesday, that would mean he attended a fundraiser in Minneapolis, held a rally later that night and flew on Air Force One to attend another fundraiser in New Jersey the next day, all while being infected with the coronavirus that has killed more than 200,000 Americans nationwide.
But Dr Conley said he “incorrectly used the term ‘seventy-two hours’ instead of ‘day three’” while referring to when the president was diagnosed with Covid-19. According to the White House, Mr Trump tested positive for coronavirus late on Thursday and began reportedly suffering symptoms associated with the virus on Friday, when he was flown to Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland.
The physician also sought to clarify comments previously made at the briefing about when the president received a Regeneron treatment, writing: “The president was first diagnosed with Covid-19 on the evening of Thursday, October 1st and had received Regeneron’s antibody cocktail on Friday, October 2nd.”
Mr Trump’s team of medical experts declined to say whether he had received supplemental oxygen at any point after contracting the virus during the weekend press briefing.
They also refused to say whether he was on steroids, what his heart and lung scans had revealed and what his fever reached when he reportedly began suffering symptoms associated with Covid-19.
Meanwhile, a pool reporter provided comments from an anonymous White House official familiar with the president’s health which read: “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
The Associated Press also reported that Mr Trump received supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House, citing an anonymous source.
The news broke after the president’s doctors spoke to reporters. The Trump administration did not confirm whether the president received oxygen as of Saturday afternoon.
Later in the day, the president’s Twitter account posted several updates, hailing the medical staff at Walter Reed and even calling for congress to work together and pass a stimulus package amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
