Trump Calls His COVID-19 Diagnosis A ‘Blessing,’ Touts Experimental Treatment

Enlarge this image


President Trump is seen removing his mask upon his return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, days after he tested positive for the coronavirus.





Win McNamee/Getty Images



hide caption



toggle caption


Win McNamee/Getty Images



Coronavirus Live Updates
Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Timetable Doesn’t Include Election Day



Live Updates: Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Some Doctors Surprised By Decision To Treat Trump With Dexamethasone

The drug company Lilly did file for emergency use authorization Wednesday for one of its antibody treatments; Regeneron wouldn’t confirm that they have applied.

The drugs referenced by Trump have only been available in very limited circumstances. The clinical evidence in support of the drugs is preliminary, perhaps enough to support emergency use but short of the level needed for a full-blown approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Questions about effectiveness and safety remain.

Trump’s contraction of the coronavirus, which causes the illness known as COVID-19, upended Washington politics just weeks before a contentious general election race for the White House and key congressional seats.



Shots — Health News
How Can You Tell If A COVID-19 Vaccine Is Working?

In addition to the president, nearly two dozen close White House contacts, including the first lady, have tested positive for the virus since Friday. The burst of cases forced into the spotlight the administration’s handling of the virus, as well as Trump’s general downplaying of the pandemic and his undermining of conventional health guidance to wear masks and avoid crowds to help slow the spread of the virus.

Many of those in Trump’s close contacts who recently contracted the virus also attended a Sept. 26 event held at the White House Rose Garden to announce Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

But Trump and others have been at a flurry of events in the last couple weeks, given the crucial time in the campaign.

NPR science correspondent Joe Palca contributed to this report.