Trump's vital signs have been "very worrying" in the last 24 hours
"The vital signs" of US President Donald Trump "have been very worrying over the last 24 hours and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of their care. We are not yet on a clear path to recovery," an anonymous source familiar with the president's health, who tested positive for COVID-19, said Saturday.
The anonymous source, whose version was released to reporters covering the White House, offers a more cautious view than that of the president's personal physician, Sean Conley, who said today at a press conference that Trump is doing "very well", does not have a fever and does not need oxygen, but refused to give details about the evolution yesterday.
The comment given to the accredited journalists in the White House adds that it is necessary to wait to know how the president's illness will evolve. Conley said in a press conference that the first moments of COVID-19 are critical to know if the disease will be aggressive or not and they will continue to monitor the evolution of the president from the military hospital outside Washington in which Trump has been admitted since yesterday.
He added that Trump had a fever yesterday, but today he has shown improvement in his symptoms and no longer has an abnormal temperature or breathing difficulties. The presidential doctor refused to clarify whether the president needed oxygen yesterday and only pointed out that he has not required it today, nor since he arrived at the hospital.
According to sources consulted by The New York Times, the president showed difficulty in breathing on Friday and his blood oxygen levels fell, so he was given oxygen at the White House and it was decided that he should be transferred to Walter Reed military hospital, outside Washington.
At the press conference of the President's medical team, Conley said that "this morning the President is doing very well". "At this point, the team and I are extremely pleased with the progress the President has shown," he added.
Conley also acknowledged that suspicions about the President's possible infection occurred on Thursday afternoon, when it was confirmed that his advisor Hope Hicks had tested positive and that concerns began shortly thereafter about "clinical indications" that Trump might be infected with SARS-CoV-2, although confirmation did not come until the evening with the results of a PCR test.
Trump met with donors at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday before returning to the White House.