Medical Experts Raise Questions About Severity Of Trump’s COVID-19 Infection Doctors not involved in treating the president said the fact that he is on the steroid dexamethasone means his coronavirus infection is severe.

 Monday, October 5, 2020

(Reuters) - Doctors not involved in treating President Donald Trump for COVID-19 said the fact that he has been started on dexamethasone - a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation - is evidence his case is severe.

Trump’s medical team on Sunday said the president was started on the steroid after experiencing low oxygen levels, but his condition was improving and he could be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

“What I heard in the news conference description suggested the President has more severe illness than the generally upbeat picture painted,” said Dr. Daniel McQuillen, an infectious disease specialist at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

The Infectious Disease Society of America says dexamethasone is beneficial in people with critical or severe COVID-19 who require extra oxygen. But studies show that the drug is not helpful – and may even be harmful – in people with a milder case of the illness. more