News that Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 was met Friday morning by experts quick to emphasize that the President will likely make a full recovery.
But it’s worth noting that Trump is among those at greater risk of severe illness or complications from the coronavirus: He’s 74 years old and is considered obese based on his height and weight. And he takes a statin to help control his cholesterol.
The White House also announced on Friday that the President is being hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center out of an abundance of caution.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN medical analyst and professor at George Washington University, tweeted following the announcement.
“I wouldn’t struggle to care for the President in the White House when you can take him to really a very, very secure facility with world-class staff,” Reiner told CNN about Walter Reed. “But you would only do that if you felt that his respiratory status was deteriorate.”
Trump has had a fever since Friday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter. Earlier, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that Trump had “mild symptoms.” Other people who interacted with him Thursday said his voice sounded hoarse, though some assumed he’d strained it during recent campaign rallies.
On Friday afternoon, the President’s physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a White House letter that Trump received an antibody cocktail – an investigational treatment from the biotechnology company Regeneron – and had taken zinc, vitamin D, the heartburn drug famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.
“Chances are the President will make a complete recovery,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst and former Baltimore health commissioner, adding that 40% of those who contract Covid-19 develop no symptoms at all and will recover.
“That said, we have a long road ahead of us potentially when it comes to seeing whether he develops symptoms and also whether he becomes severely ill,” she said.
Here’s what a treatment plan could look like for a 74-year-old man like the President.