Trump is good to return to White House, says doctor

Asserting that US President Donald Trump has exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria and has received another dose of remdesivir drug in his treatment of COVID-19, his physician Monday said the president is good to go back to the White House.

Asserting that US President Donald Trump has exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria and has received another dose of remdesivir drug in his treatment of COVID-19, his physician Monday said the president is good to go back to the White House. White House is the official residence of the US president. Trump was admitted to a military hospital on Friday for the treatment of deadly coronavirus, which so far has taken lives of nearly 210,000 Americans. He and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID19 on Thursday.

"I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6.30 PM. Feeling really good! Don't be afraid of COVID. Don't let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!" Trump said in a tweet before his doctors gave an update on his health. "Over the past 24 hours, the president has continued to improve. He's met or exceeded all standard hospital discharge criteria. He has received another dose of remdesivir here today, and then we plan to get him home," White House physician Dr Sean Conley told reporters at the Walter Reed National Military Center.

" It's been more than 72 hours since his last fever. Oxygen levels, including ambulatory saturations and his work of breathing or all normal though. He may not entirely be out of the woods, yet the team and I agree that all our evaluations and most importantly, his clinical status support the president's safe return home, where he'll be surrounded by world-class medical care 24 seven," Dr Conley said. Dr Sean Dooley, a pulmonary critical care physician, told reporters that the president continues to do very well. His vital signs this morning, temperature was 98.1, his blood pressure was 134 and 78 and respiratory rate of 17 respirations per minute. His heart rate was 68 beats per minute, and his last Oxo hemoglobin saturation was 97 per cent on room air, he said. He currently does not endorse any respiratory complaints, the physician said.

According to Dr Brian Garibaldi, director of Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, on Sunday evening, the president received his third dose of remdesivir and he tolerated that infusion without difficulty. His kidney and liver function continued to be normal, he said. "Our plan is to give the fourth dose of remdesivir this evening, before he goes back to the White House, and we've made arrangements to deliver the fifth and final dose of his treatment course at the White House tomorrow evening," Garibaldi added. "He continues on dexamethazone and again. The plan for today is to continue to be up and out of bed, eat, and drink and work as he is able," he said. Dr Jason Blaylock, an infectious disease specialist and the chief of medicine at Walter Reed, said Trump has received medical management that remains in line with national clinical societal guidelines for treatment of the infection. The team has worked very closely with various laboratories in the area state-of-the-art facilities on obtaining advanced diagnostic testing to really inform the White House medical team of both the status of the president,as well as his ability to transmit virus to others. "Also, we have worked very closely with the Walter Reed team to ensure that we are looking very closely on infection control prevention strategies and the right posture so that the president can safely return to his residence," he said. Responding to questions, Dr Conley said Trump met most of his discharge requirements safely from the hospital Sunday evening. "He is returning to a facility, the White House medical unit that's staffed 24 seven top-notch physicians, nurses, PAs, logisticians, and the team here behind me is going to continue to support us in that nature," he said. Dr Conley said he and his team worked with infectious disease experts to make some recommendations for how to keep everything safe down at the White House for the president and those around him. "We are looking at where he's going to be able to carry out his duties, office space. And, it's in line with everything we've been doing upstairs for the last several days," he said.