Donald Trump Still Has A ‘Significant Chance’ Of Dying, Doctor Says
Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at UC San Francisco, appeared on CNN on Wednesday and warned that Donald Trump still faces a “significant chance” of death from his coronavirus infection amid claims that he is symptom-free.
“He’s doing well, that’s great, he is not out of the woods,” he said, per Mediaite. “It won’t really be until next week that he would be getting to the end of the period during which we worry about a significant deterioration and compromise of his breathing.”
Wachter continued to claim that Trump faces a “significant chance, probably more than one in 10,” of death. Notably, he referred to the overall numbers in coronavirus patients and Trump’s age and obesity to justify his comments.
The doctor’s comment comes amid optimistic remarks from White House physician Sean Conley. As reported by NBC News, Conley released a memo on Wednesday in which he claimed the president has been free of fever for four days and has not needed supplemental oxygen since leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.
Conley said that Trump has detectable levels of COVID-19 antibodies from blood samples drawn on Monday and noted that the president has claimed to “feel great.” The president’s antibodies came from the experimental Regeneron treatment, National Post reported.
Along with Wachter, Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned of the possibility of Trump’s health taking a turn for the worse, National Post reported. Although Fauci noted that Trump looks well, he also highlighted that the president is “still early enough in the disease.”
Fauci pointed to the “clinical course” for the average person, which sometimes includes a “reversal” after five to eight days.
“A reversal meaning, going in the wrong direction, and (you) get into trouble. It’s unlikely that it will happen, but they need to be heads-up for it.”
Trump returned to the White House on Monday and controversially removed his mask. Despite his purported turn for the better, Wachter claimed that the president is “almost certainly still contagious,” and will continue to be until approximately 10 days of no symptoms.
During his appearance, Trump said Americans should not fear the virus. The comments drew criticism as over 211,000 Americans have died from the disease as of Wednesday afternoon, and many in the country do not have access to health care.
As The Inquisitr reported, scientists previously warned of a forthcoming epidemic of brain damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study that examined patients from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, 10 out of the 43 patients exhibited severe brain swelling, which led to delirious episodes.
