Trump doing well, undergoing Remdesivir therapy: WH doctor

Washington: US President Donald Trump, who was shifted to a military hospital after being tested positive for COVID-19, is undergoing Remdesivir therapy and is ‘doing well’, the White House physician has said.

The Trump administration had issued an emergency use authorisation for Remdesivir earlier this year after the drug showed moderate effectiveness in improving outcomes for patients who were hospitalised with the coronavirus.

Trump, 74, was flown to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, on Friday.

White House physician Sean Conley said medical specialists have recommended Remdesivir therapy to treat the president’s COVID-19 infection.

“This evening, I am happy to report that the President is doing well,” Conley said in a health bulletin on Friday night, the first after the president was moved to the military hospital as a precautionary measure.

“He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists, we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy. He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably,” he said.

Conley, in a White House memorandum, said he recommended Trump be moved to Walter Reed Military Medical Centre “for further monitoring”.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, 50, were tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. While the president was taken to the military hospital, the First Lady stayed back at the White House