A hail of criticism has followed US President Donald Trump’s drive-by to wave at supporters outside of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, including by a doctor at Walter Reed who said the president put the Secret Service at great risk.

President Trump was hospitalized on Friday, after testing positive for SARS-CoV2 hours earlier. Trump was moved to Walter Reed after the White House reported that he was experiencing “mild symptoms”, including a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and a cough. 

On Sunday, the White House physician Sean P. Conley corrected previous reports, announcing that Trump had a high fever on Friday and his blood oxygen levels dropped below 95 percent on two occasions, on Friday and again on Sunday. 

The president received an antibody cocktail from Regeneron, a biotech company that has developed a treatment to lower the level of the virus. Later on Friday Trump began taking the experimental drug Remdesivir, developed by Gilead. And the following day, he was given dexamethasone, a drug reserved for use in “severe and critical COVID-19” cases, according to WHO guidelines. He was also reportedly given oxygen on a couple of occasions. 

The White House has been widely criticized for the incomplete and sometimes contradictory information regarding Trump’s health. Infectious disease experts have begun questioning if Trump’s condition is more serious than implied by his doctors due to the combination of drugs he has been given. 

Trump has attempted to quell concerns by posting a video on Twitter, praising his doctors at Walter Reed and saying, “I learned a lot about COVID…I get it and I understand it.” Moments after releasing the video, Trump left the hospital in a vehicle with his Secret Service detail to wave to his supporters – who he referred to as “the great patriots” – gathered outside. Trump was wearing a mask and the Secret Service agents were wearing respirators and eye protection.

Trump’s actions have been harshly criticized by doctors and experts for putting the Secret Service agents at risk. James Phillips, an attending physician at Walter Reed, said Trump’s drive-by was “political theater” and “insanity.” 

“The risk of COVID-19 transmission inside [the vehicle] is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding,” said Phillips. 

According to the White House spokesperson, Judd Deere, the drive was “cleared by the medical team as safe.” However, Secret Service agents told the Washington Post that Trump’s behavior was reckless. 

“By taking a joy ride outside Walter Reed the president is placing his Secret Service detail at grave risk,” said Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington School of medicine and health services. 

Trump’s Medical Team Report That He Will Be Discharged

Meanwhile, Conley announced on Monday that the president will be discharged from the hospital and return to the White House on Monday evening. Trump has received a third dose of remdesivir and continues to take dexamethasone, according to his doctors at Walter Reed. 

Trump affirmed that his health has drastically improved, saying on Twitter, “I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” These feelings, however, could be attributed to the dexamethasone that the president has been taking. The steroid dampens the body’s immune response and can cause some patients to develop “insomnia, mania, agitation and grandiosity,” said Céline Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. 

Several medical experts have raised concerns about the decision to discharge Trump. “I think it would be disastrous to be in a situation where he gets really sick at the White House, and you’re having to emergency transfer him,” said Gounder. 

However, in the absence of more detailed, and transparent, reports about the President’s health by his doctors, the speculation remained just that.  

As the US COVID-19 deaths reached 210,000 on Monday, President Trump tweeted ,defiantly, “Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life.”

Image Credits: Flickr – White House, Flickr – White House.