>>692 Trump given steroid, a worrying sign

As a determination of the team based predominantly on the timeline from the
initial diagnosis that we initiate dexamethasone. ? White House physician
Dr. Sean Conley

Dexamethasone ? a safe, inexpensive steroid that has been around for decades
? is generally reserved for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 cases.

The National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization both recommend
the drug for patients on supplemental oxygen or ventilators, based on a large
clinical trial that found it reduced the risk of death. But both guidelines
warn the drug could harm people who don’t require oxygen therapy or a ventilator,
and should not be used for such patients. Trump's doctors said Sunday that he
has received oxygen therapy twice for limited periods. They also said he’s
run a fever.

The decision to give Trump dexamethasone shows that “he’s actually having
effects on his lungs from the virus,” said Abraar Karan, an internal medicine
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/04/covid-19-trump-medical-team-briefing-426025
By LAUREN MORELLO, DAVID LIM and JOANNE KENEN
10/04/2020 04:14 PM EDT Updated: 10/04/2020 05:13 PM EDT