October 5 Trump Covid-19 news

By Helen Regan, Adam Renton, Steve George, Nick Thompson, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Amy Woodyatt, CNN

Updated 2:57 p.m. ET, November 23, 2020
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7:21 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump plans to participate in the next debate, his campaign spokesperson says

From CNN's Ryan Nobles

President Trump is planning to participate in the next presidential debate scheduled for Oct. 15, Trump Campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh tells CNN.

Asked by CNN on debate plans, Murtaugh said, “It is the President’s intention to debate.”

About the debate: The second general election presidential debate will be hosted in Miami, Florida, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, which hosted the first Democratic debates of the 2020 primary last year.

Unlike the first debate, the second presidential debate will take the form of a town hall where questions will be posed to the candidates from Miami-area residents, the commission said.

Could it be safe for Trump to attend the next debate? Here's what one expert said:

3:51 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump's doctor says President has not taken fever-reducing medicine — but dexamethasone can mask fever

From CNN's Jacqueline Howard

President Trump "has not been on any fever-reducing medications for over 72 hours," White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said during a news briefing at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.

Yet Trump has been administered the corticosteroid dexamethasone as part of his treatment regimen for Covid-19. Dexamethasone, which lowers inflammation, can mask a fever. 

"Dr. Conley just said that POTUS has not been on fever-reducing medications for 72 hours. That is wrong," CNN medical analyst Dr. Céline Gounder tweeted on Monday. "Dexamethasone is a fever-reducing medication."

Trump’s doctors have been stressing that the President has not had a fever since Saturday.

Being fever-free is one sign that a patient is recovering from a Covid-19 infection. Conley said Trump had a “high fever” on Friday morning.

3:51 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump was given supplemental oxygen both times his oxygen level dropped, his doctor says

From CNN's Jacqueline Howard

President Trump has been given supplemental oxygen twice during the course of his illness so far, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said during a briefing at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.

On Sunday, the President's physicians said that there have been two episodes of his oxygen level transiently dipping — but did not explicitly divulge how many times he had been given oxygen.

"Both times, he received a little bit of oxygen and recovered immediately," Conley said on Monday.

Conley has previously said Trump’s oxygen level fell on both Friday and on Saturday.

Watch:

3:41 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump's doctor won't say when he last tested negative: "I don't want to go backwards"

From CNN's Betsy Klein 

The President’s physician Dr. Sean Conley declined to provide any details on when Trump last tested negative for Covid-19 amid ongoing questions about when he was first contagious with the virus. 

“I don’t want to go backwards,” Conley told reporters at Monday’s news briefing at Walter Reed National Medical Center, claiming that contact tracing is “being done.” 

Watch the moment:

3:28 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Doctor: Trump's "clinical status" supports leaving hospital though he may not be "out of the woods"

White House doctor Sean Conley speaks during a press conference at Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday, October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland.
White House doctor Sean Conley speaks during a press conference at Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday, October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pool

President Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley said the President's evaluations and clinical status supports his return home.

"Though he may not be entirely out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all his evaluations, and most importantly, his clinical status support his return home where he'll be surrounded by world class medical care 24/7," he said.

Earlier today, Trump said he's be leaving Water Reed medical center at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Watch the moment:

3:37 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump will be administered fifth and final dose of remdesivir at White House tomorrow

From CNN's Jacqueline Howard and Lauren Mascarenhas

Dr. Brian Garibaldi, talks with reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland
Dr. Brian Garibaldi, talks with reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland Evan Vucci/AP

One of the physicians treating President Trump said he has received his third dose of remdesivir and tolerated that infusion "without difficulty." The physician said the President's kidney and liver function "continue to be normal."

"Our plan is to give him the fourth treatment of remdesivir this evening before he goes back to the White House, and we've made arrangements to deliver the fifth and final dose of his treatment course at the White House tomorrow evening," Dr. Brian Garibaldi said in a news conference.

Garibaldi said Trump is still taking dexamethasone.

Remember: Trump is being given a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir. The treatment is intended to shorten recovery time for Covid-19 patients.

In the phase 3 clinical trial, remdesivir was found to speed recovery in moderately ill patients with pneumonia from Covid-19, according to results published in the medical journal JAMA in August.

Trump was given the corticosteroid drug dexamethasone on Saturday after his oxygen level transiently dipped, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said during a briefing on Sunday.

In the United States, dexamethasone has been used to treat some Covid-19 patients since early on in the pandemic — but some doctors previously have warned "it is not a treatment for mild disease."

4:19 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump's doctor defends his SUV ride yesterday

President Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley, center, and other doctors attend a press conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland.
President Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley, center, and other doctors attend a press conference at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 5 in Bethesda, Maryland. Evan Vucci/AP

President Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley was pressed by reporters on the question of why it was safe for him to leave Walter Reed medical center on Sunday for an SUV ride to wave to his supporters outside the facility.

Conley said that Trump "has been surrounded by medical and security staff for days wearing full PPE," adding, "and yesterday the US Secret Service agents were in that same level of PPE for a very short period of time. 

On the question of what precautions are being taken at the White House ahead of Trump's planned return tonight, Conley said, "We worked with our infectious disease experts to make some recommendations for how to keep everything safe down at the White House for the President and those around him." 

He continued: "We're looking at where he's going to be able to carry out his duties, office space, and I'll just say that it's in line with everything we've been doing upstairs for the last several days." 

Watch the moment:

3:04 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump advisers urged him to stay in hospital as recently as this morning

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond 

President Trump’s advisers urged Trump not to check out of the hospital as recently as this morning, a source close to the White House tells CNN.

Even as Trump has told aides he feels better and is agitating to get out of the hospital, aides have encouraged Trump to stay, warning him of the bad optics if his condition were to worsen again requiring a second hospitalization.

“You don’t wanna come back,” is the message that’s been relayed to the President, this source said.

If Trump gets worse after returning to the White House, this source said: “That would be bad.”

“Bottom line is you can have good days and bad days. You could fool yourself into thinking you’re feeling better and you’re not,” the source said.

Trump tweeted Monday afternoon that he was leaving Walter Reed medical center at 6:30 p.m. ET and the White House press office confirmed he will be returning to the White House. 

2:41 p.m. ET, October 5, 2020

Trump says he'll leave Walter Reed tonight

President Trump just tweeted that he will be leaving Walter Reed medical center at 6:30 p.m. ET today.

"Felling really good!" he tweeted moments ago. "Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life."

Here's his full message: