Mr and Mrs Trump rest positive for Covid-19

[Sun_Worshiper]

Really infuriating to read about how reckless the President and his circle have been, in terms of not wearing masks or social distancing, including after it became clear that people in his orbit were sick.

[clean]

Add Fmr Gov. Christie and Kelley Anne Conway to the list.

It looks like the Saturday ceremony to announce the appointment of a justice to replace Ginsburg may have been a 'super spreader event'. 

Hoping that they all recover quickly.

[spork]

Add Fmr Gov. Christie and Kelley Anne Conway to the list.

It looks like the Saturday ceremony to announce the appointment of a justice to replace Ginsburg may have been a 'super spreader event'. 

Hoping that they all recover quickly.

In addition to the hugging, lack of masks, etc., on Saturday, no one wore masks during the debate prep -- Trump and his circle were exposing each other to possible infection over four days.

[jimbogumbo]

Add Fmr Gov. Christie and Kelley Anne Conway to the list.

It looks like the Saturday ceremony to announce the appointment of a justice to replace Ginsburg may have been a 'super spreader event'. 

Hoping that they all recover quickly.

In addition to the hugging, lack of masks, etc., on Saturday, no one wore masks during the debate prep -- Trump and his circle were exposing each other to possible infection over four days.

Yes. And Chris Christie was deeply involved in the debate prep.

[pigou]

He's gotten a dose of antibodies as a precautionary measure. A treatment not available to the public.

Not to take this thread on an FDA-rant tangent, but that's one thing I find extremely upsetting. Their approval process for the general public is extremely conservative, but when the goal is to try and save a specific patient, doctors know it's in the patient's best interest to try promising-but-not-yet-approved treatments. If you're POTUS or have close connections to a research hospital, you can bypass the approval process and increase your chances of survival -- while others are dying because regulators can't be sure that it really works until perhaps months or years after the pandemic is over.

[mahagonny]

It just struck me...I wonder if he were sick before the debates, maybe even knew or suspected it.

That might explain the even-more-than-usual level of confusion and anger...either onset of feverish confusion (afebrile disease/dementia is common at his age) or just fury at being mortal, and infected...or some of both.

I also realized that my hope is he will come out of it redeemed and with at least something like a transformed sense of life, empathy and generosity of spirit.

I'd hoped something similar for Boris Johnson, but it doesn't seem to have happened, so I am looking at the likelihood of metanoia as uncertain, of course.

But it's at least a possibility worth hoping for.

M.

My experience working in health care has been that if a genuine a**hole gets cancer and recovers, what emerges is still a genuine a**hole.  Saint Paul on the road to Damascus changes are pretty much unheard of.

I'd look at it from the perspective of mathematical probability. three outcomes are possible. A person may get gravely ill and then recover and be imbued with a lasting sense of contentment and gratitude. Or he may be bitter and go around thinking 'why did a good person like get sick instead one of those A-holes that I know?' Or he may move on, forget the whole deal. With Trump, being an active older guy, not given to introspection, I'd guess the latter.

[writingprof]

The man is seventy-four.  He's had a cold before, perhaps even a bad cold, which is what this is.

It is highly irresponsible to compare COVID19 to the common cold.

Stupid?  Perhaps.  Inaccurate?  I'm open to persuasion.  But irresponsible?  That's ridiculous . . . unless people in the world are taking their behavioral cues from what I write on these fora, which seems unlikely.

[Hegemony]

I have no idea how you could claim accuracy by saying the risk is no worse than that of a bad cold for someone in his 70s. Based on the date from China, the fatality rate for someone in the 70-79% age group is 9.8%. (https://www.vox.com/2020/10/2/21498328/trump-covid-19-risk-factors) Even if you claimed that China was somehow anomalous, and the death rate is only half that, that would be 4.9%, whereas the death rate for "a bad cold" is pretty much 0%. Furthermore, no president has been put on oxygen and then helicoptered to spend several days at the hospital for a bad cold. In so far as it's an academic's responsibility to report facts accurately, saying that COVID-19 is no worse than a bad cold for a 74-year-old is irresponsible.

[writingprof]

I have no idea how you could claim accuracy by saying the risk is no worse than that of a bad cold for someone in his 70s. Based on the date from China, the fatality rate for someone in the 70-79% age group is 9.8%. (https://www.vox.com/2020/10/2/21498328/trump-covid-19-risk-factors) Even if you claimed that China was somehow anomalous, and the death rate is only half that, that would be 4.9%, whereas the death rate for "a bad cold" is pretty much 0%. Furthermore, no president has been put on oxygen and then helicoptered to spend several days at the hospital for a bad cold. In so far as it's an academic's responsibility to report facts accurately, saying that COVID-19 is no worse than a bad cold for a 74-year-old is irresponsible.

It's a shame, too, because I was such a responsible child, always making my own bed, remembering assignments, taking care of my toys, et cetera.  Where did I go wrong?

[Ruralguy]

You tell us. I can't figure out why someone would be petulantly ignorant.

[ergative]

He's gotten a dose of antibodies as a precautionary measure. A treatment not available to the public.

Not to take this thread on an FDA-rant tangent, but that's one thing I find extremely upsetting. Their approval process for the general public is extremely conservative, but when the goal is to try and save a specific patient, doctors know it's in the patient's best interest to try promising-but-not-yet-approved treatments. If you're POTUS or have close connections to a research hospital, you can bypass the approval process and increase your chances of survival -- while others are dying because regulators can't be sure that it really works until perhaps months or years after the pandemic is over.

With unproven treatments, the probabilities go in both ways. If this had happened in May, Trump would have been chugging hydroxychloroquine, and I seem to recall that some studies show it actually hurts more than it helps.

[nebo113]

I extend to him and Melanie the same care and concern  he extended to the Prisoner of War and she extended to migrant children separated from their parents.

[mahagonny]

I extend to him and Melanie the same care and concern  he extended to the Prisoner of War and she extended to migrant children separated from their parents.

Truth be told, I'm getting all the medication my doctor prescribes through my HMO, and I'll take it, even if others don't have the same security. It's all about me.

[jimbogumbo]

Why is Vice President Pence not in DC? In my opinion, given the circumstances, he is in too important a position to be traveling at this time.

[mamselle]

I was wondering about him this AM, too.

M.