In a video released Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump termed his catching COVID-19 a “blessing in disguise.”
Standing outside the White House with the Oval Office windows in the background, the president praised the treatment he received with the experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail “and various other drugs” during his 72-hour hospitalization.
“They call them therapeutic. But to me it wasn’t therapeutic. It just made me better. OK? I call that a cure,” declared Trump in the nearly 5-minute, ad-libbed video.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday evening told reporters the video was “taken on the South Lawn earlier this afternoon.”
The president promised the cutting-edge antibody drug would be made available for free for all coronavirus patients in the United States.
“I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president,” Trump said.
Regeneron confirmed that the president was provided with its REGN-COV2 antibody cocktail as part of a “compassionate use request,” which is when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows for unapproved treatments to be made available to treat ill patients when no other treatment is available.
Regeneron has an arrangement with the Defense Department to distribute the first 300,000 doses once it they are available. The monoclonal antibodies are difficult and expensive to manufacture, and it is not known when they will be widely available to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
In the video, Trump said “I feel like, perfect” then saying of his becoming infected with COVID-19: “I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it.”
The coronavirus has killed 211,000 people in the United States and infected more than 7.5 million across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center data.
“China’s going to pay a big price” for infecting the United States and the world, vowed Trump in the video, in reference to the coronavirus emanating from Wuhan.
Trump returned to the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon for the first time since he was released two days earlier from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The president walked from the residence to his official office for briefings on the stalled coronavirus relief stimulus talks and Hurricane Delta, according to White House officials.
Trump tweeted shortly after the confirmation that he was briefed on the storm and had spoken about preparations with the governors of Texas and Louisiana.
Trump has been symptom-free for over 24 hours and is holding stable, White House physician Sean Conley said in a statement earlier Wednesday.
Conley said the president’s “vital signs, including oxygen saturation and respiratory rate, all remain stable and in normal range.” He noted that Trump has been fever-free for four days, and his labs drawn on Monday “demonstrated detectable levels” of COVID-19 antibodies.
The physician did not elaborate on that or on what treatments the president is still on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can take one to three weeks after infection for a person’s body to make antibodies.
Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden each said Tuesday they are looking forward to their second debate next week. But the issue of Trump’s coronavirus infection has raised questions about health protocols for the event.
When asked about the safety of participating in the debate, Biden told reporters he hopes “all the protocols are followed,” and that “if he still has COVID, we shouldn’t have a debate.”
Biden said he will be led by Cleveland Clinic guidelines and the advice of doctors.
“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami,” said Trump on Twitter. “It will be great!”
Trump first tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday and was hospitalized for 72 hours between Friday evening and Monday. Based on that timeline, his attendance at the first debate could have posed a public health risk based on CDC guidelines, which consider someone infected with the virus to be contagious 10 to 20 days from the onset of symptoms.
Trump and Biden were about 4 meters apart on a debate stage September 29 in Cleveland, Ohio. The CDC suggests at least 2 meters for social distancing purposes.
The White House is “taking every precaution necessary” to protect not just Trump and first lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive for the coronavirus, but “every staff member working on the complex,” consistent with CDC guidelines and best practices, according to Judd Deere, a White House spokesman.
“With the recent positive results of the President and First Lady, staff wear full PPE and continue to take all necessary precautions, which include updated procedures to protect against cross-contamination,” according to a Tuesday White House statement.
Several White House officials and other staff are known to be currently infected with the virus, including press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, senior adviser Stephen Miller and presidential adviser Hope Hicks.
In additional to the antibody cocktail, the president has been taking dexamethasone, a steroid which is typically not administered in mild or moderate cases of the coronavirus, along with a five-day course of remdesivir, an antiviral medication.
Trump’s campaign on Friday put a hold on all previously announced events involving the president’s participation.
Vice President Mike Pence is making campaign appearances this week, as well as facing off Wednesday evening against Sen. Kamala Harris of California, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.
Biden and Harris are both scheduled to be in the state of Arizona on Thursday.
VOA's Chris Hannas contributed to this report.
