WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's condition was more serious than originally reported when he went to hospital on Friday evening after testing positive for coronavirus, reports said.
The White House initially said Trump was experiencing mild symptoms of Covid-19, but Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters, 'The President's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care'. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery, he added.
One of the physicians treating Trump later said that he was treated with the steroid Dexamethasone after oxygen level dropped for two days. White House physician Sean P. Conley then confirmed it.
Dexamethasone is not a drug that is usually given in the mild stage of the disease.
There are reports that the president was doing well and might be discharged from Walter Reed national Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md, on Monday.
The President has no public events scheduled for Monday, according to the White House.
In a press release late Sunday, White House said the President was working from hospital.
Trump's Press Secretary released a photograph showing him participating in a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley in his conference room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Trump's surprise drive-by photo op outside the hospital to greet his supporters was widely criticized.
Trump, who was seen wearing a mask, waved to well-wishers from behind the glass of a sealed SUV, leaving Secret Service agents inside the car at risk of infection.
Trump made the surprise visit outside Walter Reed shortly after posting a video message on Twitter.
'It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't the 'let's read the books' school. And I get it, and I understand it, and it's a very interesting thing, and I'm going to be letting you know about it', Trump said.
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