Trump’s age, health woes raise his risk for Covid-19 illness

Washington, Oct 3 (AP/PTI): President Donald Trump has several strikes against him age, obesity, elevated cholesterol and being male that could put him at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus infection he disclosed early Friday.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive, are both well at this time and plan to remain at the White House while recovering and being closely monitored, according to a statement from his physician, Dr. Sean Conley.

A White House official said Friday that Trump was having mild symptoms.

The odds are far and away that he’ll have a mild illness as most people with the virus do, said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic who has no role in Trump’s care.

But Covid-19 is very unpredictable, he stressed.

We have young people who die. We have nursing home patients, a lot of them, who actually do quite well, Poland said.

No treatments have proven effective for preventing illness in someone who is infected but with no or mild symptoms. That includes hydroxychloroquine, a drug Trump long promoted and even took himself earlier this year after a White House staffer tested positive for the virus.

Here’s what experts say about Trump’s outlook and next steps.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Infection causes mild or no symptoms in about 80 per cent of cases. About 15 per cent of people become seriously ill and 5 per cent get critically ill.

Symptoms, when they do occur, usually appear two to 14 days after infection and can include loss of smell or taste, coughing, a sore throat, trouble breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Up to half of patients who are hospitalized don’t have a fever when admitted but nearly all develop one. How people fare varies widely some seem to be recovering and then suddenly worsen.

Pneumonia, often with a specific appearance on X-rays, sometimes develops but complications in virtually every organ of the body have been reported.

Doctors also increasingly recognize that some people have long-lasting symptoms.

TRUMP’S RISKS

Older age, being male and having any other health problems increase the chance of severe illness, and Trump has those.

At 74, his age would be the primary risk factor, said Dr. David Banach, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Connecticut’s health system.

People ages 65 to 74 are seven times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19 than those who are 18 to 29 years old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risks rise exponentially at older ages.

Trump also is obese, with a body mass index just past 30.

Obesity is a state of chronic lowered immunity. In other words, you don’t respond to vaccines as well, you don’t respond to infections as well as people of normal weight, Poland said.

Trump takes a statin drug to lower his cholesterol, and that condition also raises his risk for COVID-19 complications, doctors said.

NEXT STEPS

There’s no need yet for tests such as X-rays, but doctors likely will check him often for any difficulty breathing, coughing or other symptoms, Banach said.

No drugs are known to help for people with no or very mild symptoms; remdesivir and steroids have shown benefit for certain moderately and severely ill patients.

Nevertheless, Dr. David Boulware, a University of Minnesota infectious disease specialist who has led studies of some coronavirus treatments, speculated that Trump’s doctors might try promising therapies being tested in studies now, such as antibody drugs or convalescent plasma blood from Covid-19 survivors.

More than likely, he’s going to get treated upfront, Boulware said. They’re not going to just sit around and watch to see if he gets sick.

Trump’s diagnosis is a reminder to take coronavirus seriously — Biden

President Donald Trump, along with the first lady, being tested positive for Covid -19 is a “bracing reminder” to take the virus seriously, his Democratic challenger Joe Biden said, urging people to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing.

Sending my prayers (for) health and safety of the first lady and the president of the United States after they tested positive for Covid-19. My wife Jill and I pray that they will make a quick and full recovery, Biden said at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a battle ground State.

This is not a matter of politics. It’s a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously. It’s not going away automatically. We have to do our part to be responsible, he said.

Biden urged people to listen to experts, wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing.

“It means following the science, listening to the experts, washing hands, social distancing. It means wearing a mask in public and it means encouraging others to do so well. It means having masking mandates nationwide,” Biden said.

The Democratic presidential candidate emphasised on the importance of wearing masks, saying they are the most important, powerful public health tool.

We can save 100,000 lives in the next 100 days, according to the head of the CDC, if everyone wears a mask in public. So, be patriotic. It’s not about being a tough guy. It’s about doing your part, he asserted.

Wearing a mask is not only going to protect you, but it also protects those around you, your mom, your dad, your brother, your sister, husband, wife, neighbour, coworker. Don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for the people you love, people you work with, Biden said.

The Democratic presidential candidate said the seriousness of this virus also underscores that people need regular testing with results turned around rapidly and that’s available to everyone.

It’s not just the folks in the White House or who travel with me that deserve regular testing. It’s folks in the meatpacking and food processing plants, grocery store workers. Every single American deserves safety and peace of mind, he said.

Biden said those who test positive for the virus need to particiapte in contact tracing to check the spread of the virus.

And it means we need transparency. Those who test positive need to participate in contact tracing so that everyone who they may have exposed can get tested themselves. That’s how you stop transmission for any epidemic. It’s basic, he said.

We need to take the science of fighting this disease seriously if we’re going to save lives. And above all, the news is a reminder that we as a nation need to do better in dealing with this pandemic. Taking these steps is how we’ll protect our self. And just as important is how we will protect one another, the former vice president said.

More than 2,07,000 Americans have died from this virus and there are more than seven million Americans who have been infected.