Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Symptoms Improve On First Day Back At Virus-Struck White House
The Hill: White House Physician Says Trump Reporting 'No Symptoms' Of COVID-19
White House physician Sean Conley said Tuesday that President Trump is reporting “no symptoms” after being discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during his treatment for the novel coronavirus. “This morning the President’s team of physicians met with him in the Residence. He had a restful first night at home, and today he reports no symptoms,” Conley wrote in a memorandum issued Tuesday afternoon, less than five days after Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19. (Chalfant, 10/6)
Politico: Coronavirus Looms Over Trump’s First Day Back At Work
President Donald Trump is back at the White House, trying to project a sense of normalcy. But the coronavirus still dominated his first day of work since leaving the hospital. The president, possibly contagious, spent the day sealed off in the second-floor residence with a downsized staff around him. He only met in person with a few PPE-clad top aides, including chief of staff Mark Meadows and assistant to the president Dan Scavino. Jared Kushner, Trump’s top aide and son-in-law, showed up at the White House, but only spoke to Trump by phone, despite working just a few hundred feet away from the president. (McGraw, 10/6)
The New York Times: Trump's Return From Walter Reed Leaves White House In Disarray
The White House that President Trump woke up in on Tuesday morning was in full-blown chaos, even by the standards of the havoc of the Trump era. Aides said the president’s voice was stronger after his return from the hospital Monday night, but at times he still sounded as if he was trying to catch air. The West Wing was mostly empty, cleared of advisers who were out sick with the coronavirus themselves or told to work from home rather than in the capital’s most famous virus hot spot. Staff members in the White House residence were in full personal protective equipment, including yellow gowns, surgical masks and disposable protective eye covers. (Habermand Karni, 10/6)
The New York Times: Why Doctors Aren’t So Sure Trump Is Feeling Better From Covid-19
Without critical data about his lung function, medical experts in Covid-19 and lung disease said they were struggling to piece together an accurate picture of how Mr. Trump is faring. They noted that while most patients with the virus do recover, it was premature to declare victory over an unpredictable, poorly understood virus that has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States. ... Far from having vanquished Covid-19, the outside doctors said, Mr. Trump is most likely still struggling with it and entering a pivotal phase — seven to 10 days after the onset of symptoms — in which he could rapidly take a turn for the worse. He’s 74, male and moderately obese, factors that put him at risk for severe disease. (Thomas, 10/6)
Stat: 8 Questions We Still Have About Trump's Case Of Covid-19
Over the weekend, as news about President Trump’s case of Covid-19 grabbed global attention, STAT outlined some of the key unknowns about the president and his health. Consider this a sequel. Below, we sort through some of our biggest remaining questions about Trump and his infection, some of which could be answered in the coming days. (Joseph, 10/7)
