Donald Trump was reportedly much more ill with Covid-19 in October than the White House publicly acknowledged at the time, and some officials were concerned that he should be placed in a ventilator.
Trump has experienced “extremely depressed oxygen levels in the blood” and a lung problem commonly associated with pneumonia caused by Covid-19, according to a report in the New York Times citing four people familiar with the former’s condition president.
Trump was admitted to Walter Reed’s National Military Medical Center for several days in early October after testing positive for the virus less than a month before the presidential election. At the time, a memorandum from the White House described the 74-year-old as ‘tired but in good spirits’.
Dr. Sean Conley, the personal physician who had to send the U.S. president back healthy through his meeting with Covid-19, has been widely criticized for his vague statements about Trump’s condition one day after being admitted to hospital, including while answering questions. about the president’s oxygen levels. Conley gave an upbeat rating, saying Trump is “doing very well” and there is no cause for concern.
However, the Times reports that officials found Trump’s prediction so bad before he was taken to the hospital that they were worried he would have to sit in a ventilator. Two people familiar with the condition of Trump told the newspaper that the president had lung infiltrations, which could be a sign of serious illness in Covid-19 patients who also show other symptoms.
Trump’s oxygen levels in blood were apparently also a source of concern when it fell in the ’80s – much lower than the’ 90s seen as a sign of a serious cause.
Trump has reprimanded doctors for holding a surprise visit to supporters outside the military medical center two days after he was admitted for treatment. At least two secret service agents were seen in the vehicle accompanying Trump during the short ride.
At the time, James Phillips, a treating physician at Walter Reed, called the trick “madness.”
Trump, who has repeatedly undermined and underestimated the severity of the pandemic and rising death toll, has at times suggested that his own recovery was proof that the virus was not as big a threat as public health officials have shown.
On his return to the White House after his illness, Trump told supporters: ‘You’re going to beat it [coronavirus] … As your leader, I had to do it. I knew there was danger to it, but I had to do it. I stood out in front and led. ”
Not long after Trump’s recovery, the US entered the deadliest stage of the pandemic. More than 27 million people were infected and 474,000 died in the United States alone, the highest toll of any country in the world.