President Donald Trump is continuing to get better despite experiencing two drops in his oxygen levels over the course of his illness, according to White House physician Sean Conley.
Conley told reporters Sunday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, “Since we spoke last, the president has continued to improve. As with any illness, there are frequent ups and downs over the course, particularly when a patient is being so closely watched 24 hours a day.”
He added, “Over the course of his illness, the president has experienced two episodes of transient drops in his oxygen saturation. We debated the reasons for this and whether we’d even intervene. It was a determination of the team, based predominantly on the timeline from the initial diagnoses that we initiate dexamethasone.”
Watch his remarks below:
NEW: “Since we spoke last, the president has continued to improve. As with any illness, there are frequent ups and downs over the course,” President Trump’s physician Dr. Sean Conley tells reporters. https://t.co/9aZaXI7t8Q pic.twitter.com/grFmsrqk5e
— ABC News (@ABC) October 4, 2020
According to the World Health Organization, dexamethasone is “used in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects.”
In the United Kingdom’s national clinical trial, it was tested in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Dexamethasone was found to have benefits for critically ill patients.
In a letter shared by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Friday, Conley said Trump was given the first dose of the antiviral drug Remdesivir, as IJR previously reported.
He was also given a dose of Regeneron and the president was taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin.
Trump was taken to Walter Reed on Friday, where he has continued to work and stay for a few days as a precautionary measure.
First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for COVID-19, as IJR previously reported.
According to a Pence spokesman, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative on Friday.
Former White House counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway on Friday said she had tested positive for COVID-19.