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Trump supporters pray for their president (in New York)
Photo: ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS
Donald Trump's personal doctor gave a positive assessment of the US President's health on Saturday.
At the same time, his statements raised questions - including about the time of the corona diagnosis.
When did the US president test positive for the coronavirus?
Trump himself announced his coronavirus test on Thursday evening (local time) and the positive result just before 1 a.m. on Friday night.
However, his personal physician Sean Conley said on Saturday lunchtime that the diagnosis was 72 hours ago.
That would point to Wednesday.
When asked by reporters when Trump had now tested positive, Conley said, "On Thursday afternoon, after a close contact and clinical evidence and a little more concern became known, we carried out a retest."
He did not provide any information about what the "clinical evidence" was.
In addition, another doctor said the president had received an antibody drug around 48 hours ago - that would mean Thursday noon, i.e. before the test.
After the statements raised massive questions, the White House circulated a written statement from the personal physician, in which he made it clear that the times of 72 and 48 hours were incorrect and that they simply meant the third and second day.
"The president was first diagnosed with Covid-19 on the evening of Thursday, October 1st, and received the first antibody cocktail from Regeneron on Friday, October 2nd," it concluded.
Why is the question of time important?
On Wednesday Trump attended a meeting with donors in Minnesota and campaigned in front of several thousand supporters.
On Thursday he flew to a meeting with donors in New Jersey.
If he has already done all of this with the knowledge of a positive test, that would be extremely irresponsible, because you have to assume that you are highly contagious in this phase.
When did Trump have his last negative corona test?
Conley didn't want to comment on that.
Neither on the question of when Trump could have been infected.
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Sean Conley, Trump's personal physician (in front of the Walter Reed Military Hospital)
Photo: Lamkey / Pool via CNP / MediaPunch / imago images / MediaPunch
Did Trump need additional oxygen supply?
Here Conley gave evasive answers.
"He's not getting any additional oxygen now," he kept restricting.
After several inquiries from reporters, the personal physician said that Trump also had no oxygen on Thursday - and "yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on an oxygen supply".
He expressly left the possibility open that Trump could have received additional oxygen in the White House on Friday morning.
The "New York Times" then reported, citing two sources close to the White House, that Trump had breathing problems on Friday and that his oxygen levels had fallen.
That prompted the doctors to give him additional oxygen and move him to the Walter Reed Hospital.
Why is that an important question?
Covid-19 can attack the lungs, which affects the body's oxygen supply.
That is why doctors initially oppose this by supplying additional oxygen.
Currently, the oxygen saturation in Trump's blood is 96 percent, said Conley.
He didn't answer when asked if the president had lung damage and if he was being treated with steroids.
Does Trump have a fever?
Not anymore, says his personal doctor.
Trump had an increased temperature "from Thursday to Friday", but he has been free of fever since Friday morning.
The personal doctor did not want to say how high Trump's fever was.
Icon: The mirror
wal / dpa