White House physician says Trump is fever-free but dodged questions of whether he has ever received supplemental oxygen during coronavirus treatment
- White House physician Sean Conley on Saturday told reporters that the president was not currently using supplemental oxygen, however, would not clarify whether President Trump had used it so far in his coronavirus treatment.
- Conley addressed members of the media to provide updates about Trump's hospitalization for COVID-19.
- He also would not tell reporters the date that Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus.
White House physician Sean Conley at a press conference on Saturday dodged questions and declined to say whether President Donald Trump has at any point required supplemental oxygen during his treatment for COVID-19.
"This morning, the president is doing very well," Conley said during the Saturday morning press conference. "The president has been fever-free for over 24 hours," he added but wouldn't clarify what the president's temperature was when he had a fever.
Conely also said that Trump was not presently using supplemental oxygen and most recently had a blood oxygen level reading of 96%.
"You keep saying right now," one reporter asked. "Should we read into the fact he had been [using supplemental oxygen] previously?"
"Yesterday and today, he was not on oxygen," Conley responded.
Conley also told reporters on Saturday that Trump had not had trouble breathing.
"No. No he has not," he said." "Never did. He had a little cough. He had a fever. More than anything, he's felt run down."
But several outlets, including The Associated Press and The New York Times, reported on Saturday that Trump had been administered supplemental oxygen at the White House on Friday prior to being flown to Walter Reed.
The White House did not immediately return Business Insider's request for clarification following the press conference. Conley added Saturday the president was in good spirits and said Trump felt that he was in good enough condition to leave the hospital, although Conley on Saturday could not provide a discharge date for the president.
"The big plan for today is to encourage him to eat, to drink, to stay hydrated, and to be working and doing the things that he needs to do to get well," Conley told reporters outside the Maryland hospital.
The president at around 1 a.m. on Friday announced on Twitter that both he and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, had tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The first lady had not shown signs that she required hospitalization, Conley said Saturday.
Trump late Friday had been taken via helicopter from the White House to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, "out of an abundance of caution," The White House said in a statement at the time.
Conley confirmed Saturday that the president had been given two treatments: remdesivir, a COVID-19 treatment with emergency FDA authorization, and Regeneron's experimental antibody drug since he tested positive.
Conley also wouldn't answer questions about when the president last tested negative for the virus before he tested positive.