President Trump Says He’s Not ‘Contagious at All’ Days after Leaving Hospital with Coronavirus

KEY POINTS

• President Trump said Thursday that he’s not infectious “at all” days after he was released from the medical facility after a short stay to treat him for Covid-19.
• White Home authorities said Trump started exhibiting signs about a week earlier. He was admitted to the hospital on Friday.
• The CDC states it’s proper to terminate “transmission-based safety measures” if at least 10 days have passed considering that symptom beginning, 24 hours have passed since the last fever and other symptoms have been enhanced.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s not contagious “at all” days after he was released from the Walter Reed National Armed Force Medical Center after a short stay to treat him for Covid-19.

“First off, I think I’m much better. I’d love to do a rally tonight. I wished to do one last night, however, I think I’m much better to a point that I feel much better than I did, I jokingly stated, 20 years earlier. I feel ideal. There’s absolutely nothing wrong,” he informed Fox Company’ Maria Bartiromo on a call Thursday early morning. “I do not think I’m contagious at all.”

The president added that he wouldn’t go to a rally if he were contagious.

The Centers for Disease Control and Avoidance states people “with moderate to moderate COVID-19 remain transmittable no longer than 10 days after sign onset.” People with more severe symptoms can stay contagious for longer, it says.

White House authorities stated Trump started exhibiting signs about a week ago. He was confessed to the hospital on Friday. Trump’s doctor Dr. Sean Conley stated that the president’s oxygen levels dipped two times early in the course of the illness and he was briefly administered additional oxygen.

The CDC adds that it’s suitable to stop “transmission-based safety measures” in health-care settings if at least 10 days have passed since sign beginning, 24 hr have passed given that last fever and other signs, such as shortness of breath, have improved.

The president was treated with an experimental antibody-based treatment made by Regeneron as well as the antiviral drug remdesivir made by Gilead and dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid. Many doctors state they normally book using remdesivir and dexamethasone for more seriously sick patients.

On Wednesday, Conley stated in a memo that the president had been fever-free for more than four days and without symptoms for over 24 hours.

The president on Thursday attributed his quick healing to Regeneron’s antibody mixed drink, which has not been authorized and is not offered to most Americans. Though he added, “I would have done it fine with no drugs. You don’t require drugs.”

Trump previously called the Regeneron treatment “a remedy” and called for the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its usage on an emergency basis. Regeneron stated late Wednesday that it sent an application to the FDA to authorize it for emergency usage.

The president likewise hailed a comparable drug produced by Eli Lilly, which also announced Wednesday that it submitted its ask for emergency authorization to the FDA.

Shares of Regeneron were up almost 3% greater and Eli Lilly stock was up about 1.5% in early trading Wednesday.

The president’s remarks come as the infection tears through the White Home. The virus has contaminated “34 White House staffers and other contacts” in recent days, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Situation Management Agency that was obtained by ABC News.

Throughout the pandemic, the president has repeatedly questioned public health guidance, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, developed to assist include the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, BuzzFeed News pulled its reporter out of the White House press pool, stating that Trump administration assistants have “mostly not used masks” or followed other basic coronavirus protections.

Dr. Leana Wen, a previous Baltimore health commissioner, stated the president’s remarks are “truly amazing.”

“Simply less than a week ago, the president was in a medical facility being treated for serious disease,” she stated in a phone interview. “It’s likely that he’s still shedding infection today.”

Wen, who is an emergency doctor and public health teacher at George Washington University, added that the president appears to have had a severe case of Covid-19, which implies he’ll likely remain contagious for longer than simply mildly ill clients.

“By meaning, this is not a mild case,” she stated. “We understand also that patients with more extreme health problems could end up having a higher viral load and be transmittable for longer.”

She included the president’s remark that he is thinking about holding a rally, “It’s simply mind-blowing” and stated that “the White Home is a hotbed of infection. It is the epicenter of a major outbreak.”

Dr. Syra Madad, senior director of the systemwide unique pathogens program at New york city City Health + Hospitals, stated that by declining to quarantine for the appropriate length of time, Trump is showing “total neglect for public health assistance.”

“This is about the remainder of the nation. If [Trump’s] not going to separate for that complete duration when he may be infectious, then, as a physician, why would we inform other individuals to do the exact same?” she stated in a phone interview. “Why should they listen to us when the president of the United States isn’t complying with his own public health steps?”

She said the president ought to separate for at least 10 days, as the CDC guidance states.

“It’s not like nowadays have been selected out of a bucket,” she stated. “They have been based on actual details, proof that we understand about this particular disease.”