# Trump and Melania test positive for COVID-19 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 2, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010 "2020-10-02T05:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 50
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/985 "2020-10-05T02:09:34Z")
From the [NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/health/trump-covid-treatment.html): > “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, _it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t_ _ **necessarily** _ _true_,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said to reporters on Sunday. But it _might_ be true? 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/986 "2020-10-05T02:19:08Z")
The writing in this show has got me cracking up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/987 "2020-10-05T02:20:54Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, _it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t_ _ **necessarily** _ _true_ ,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said to reporters on Sunday. I understand exactly what that means. He’s saying he’s doing every thing possible to hide the truth from the big baby because he has has a panic attack every time he hears the truth about how seriously ill he is. I’m sure a lot of people who have seen his behavior can’t believe that nobody is working on invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Hard as it is to believe, the country is even worse danger now than it has been since 2017. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/988 "2020-10-05T02:24:04Z")
My guess is that dr. Conley has been ordered to keep any “damaging” facts quiet and he’s trying to walk the line of saying as little as possible without lying and he’s having a hard time doing it ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/989 "2020-10-05T02:26:16Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Also, no fucking way Typhoid Mary is leaving the hospital tomorrow. This may be a bit unfair to the real [Typhoid Mary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon), who was probably unaware — at first — that she was infected with the disease (and may have been since birth). Trump, on the other hand, while he almost certainly ~~knows~~ has been told that however he might feel, he’s shedding the virus like an old featherduster … just doesn’t care. If we must use “Typhoid,” how about “Typhoid Toddler?” Or maybe “Covid Cheeto?” ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/990 "2020-10-05T02:30:51Z")
I got dexamethasone during chemotherapy. I can’t say what the dose in the IV bags was, or how the pills before and after compare to 45’s dose, but the major side effect was that the night after the chemo, it was difficult to sleep. I was teaching at that time and certainly was competent to work and not cognitively or psychologically impaired. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/991 "2020-10-05T02:34:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He’s saying he’s doing every thing possible to hide the truth from the big baby because he has has a panic attack every time he hears the truth about how seriously ill he is. > [@Deeg](#): > > My guess is that dr. Conley has been ordered to keep any “damaging” facts quiet and he’s trying to walk the line of saying as little as possible without lying and he’s having a hard time doing it _"Keep it positive. Don’t reveal anything negative._ _DON’T TELL ANYONE WE TOLD YOU THAT._ _How? We don’t care. Figure it out how, Smart Guy."_ ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/992 "2020-10-05T02:36:53Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > “I didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction, and in doing so, you know, _it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t_ _ **necessarily** _ _true_ ,” Dr. Sean P. Conley, the White House physician, said to reporters on Sunday. Mumbo. Jumbo. “Steer the course of the illness?” Meds can do that, other interventions can do that, but…talking negatively about it? Think happy thoughts! Lily AND Billy Mumy on the topic of negativity… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QodTptmtZ74/hqdefault.jpg "THE TWILIGHT ZONE ("It's Still a Good Life")") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QodTptmtZ74) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/993 "2020-10-05T02:45:42Z")
[![](https://morbotron.com/meme/S03E02/136485.jpg?b64lines=IE1VTUJPLCBQRVJIQVBTOwogSlVNQk8sIFBFUkhBUFMgTk9ULg==) ](https://morbotron.com/meme/S03E02/136485.jpg?b64lines=IE1VTUJPLCBQRVJIQVBTOwogSlVNQk8sIFBFUkhBUFMgTk9ULg==) ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/994 "2020-10-05T03:03:26Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > The quote doesn’t say it’s _ **harmful** _ for those with less-serious cases, just that it is not proven to be beneficial. As I posted upthread (quoting from a 538 video, dexamethasone represses the immune system, so it’s only given to patients with severe COVID because it makes patients more vulnerable to the disease. I, too, am asthmatic. I, too, have been put on prednisone when I’ve had serious asthma attacks. Note that COVID is a virus, so antibiotics are not helpful. Docs have to weigh the risks of COVID inflammation against the risk of a repressed immune system; in a mild case, the risks outweigh the benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/995 "2020-10-05T03:25:39Z")
The WHO cites the data I cited above showing that it is harmful and increases the fatality rate when given to mild COVID patients. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/996 "2020-10-05T04:07:19Z")
The article @Dr_Paprika _provided_ showed that it was of no help and probable _harm_ when given to those without respiratory distress. So to @Dr_Paprika’s list of when to give … no hospitalist I, but the data _seems_ pretty clear in the general case, only give it when the patient is minimally consistently with a need for O2 support to maintain acceptable oxygenation levels, or needing ventilation. Not by risk factors for deterioration or isolated episodes of desaturation, nor by any of the rest of the list being present or not. Could there be specific exceptions based on specific individual factors? I dunno. But barring such exceptional circumstances it seems pretty straightforward to me. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/997 "2020-10-05T04:07:41Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Asthmatics are given steroids fairly frequently, when flaring, even when the flare is caused by something bacterial. I’ve quite often headed home from a consult with prednisone and an antibiotic. I forgot to mention this before, but prednisone is not dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is six times as powerful and has a half-life twice as long as prednisone. Not all steroids are the same. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/998 "2020-10-05T04:18:10Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > So I know that Secret Service are meant to take a bullet for the President, but does that include if he’s the one waving the gun around? (Metaphorically or literally). I’ve been wondering the same thing. I would think that even if you don’t care about anyone but yourself, enlightened self-interest would drive you to act decently towards the folks who are supposed to take a bullet for you. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/999 "2020-10-05T04:29:08Z")
All I know is Sean Conley was one of the better James Bonds. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1000 "2020-10-05T05:22:50Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > If we must use “Typhoid,” how about “Typhoid Toddler?” I’ve recently suggested “Typhoid Trump”. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1001 "2020-10-05T06:05:28Z")
In the video Trump released before he left his rooms to have his parade, he said he’s been meeting soldiers and first responders at the hospital. Is he really mingling with people? Does anyone there know what quarantine means? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1002 "2020-10-05T06:07:17Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > > [@OttoDaFe](#): > > > > If we must use “Typhoid,” how about “Typhoid Toddler?” > > I’ve recently suggested “Typhoid Trump”. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/jBYLpvo.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/5PRqRAY) ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1003 "2020-10-05T06:07:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I would think that even if you don’t care about anyone but yourself, **enlightened** self-interest would drive you to act decently towards the folks who are supposed to take a bullet for you. (bolding mine) Well that’s the problem right there… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010/1004 "2020-10-05T06:44:21Z")
In NJ: > **[NJ officials contact 206 people at Trump event at Bedminster](https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-archive-new-jersey-3e8ca434fef02199464b9d6b74fc7c88)** > > State health officials in New Jersey have contacted more than 200 people who attended a campaign fundraiser at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster on Thursday, hours before the president... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-and-melania-test-positive-for-covid-19/922010.md?page=51)