Health experts criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for returning to the White House only three days after getting Covid-19 treatment at a military hospital.
Trump, still infectious, did not comply with self-quarantine protocols and exposed the Covid-19 infection risk to other White House staff, they said.
His latest remarks that Covid-19 was “less lethal” than influenza have also come under fire.
After announcing that he contracted the virus on Friday, Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Military National Military Medical Center in Maryland. However, he came back to the presidential office on a helicopter in just three days on Monday. The U.S. president is getting Covid-19 care at the White House.
Korean health experts said Trump made a dangerous decision that could put other people at infection risk.
Lee Jae-gab, a professor of the Infectious Disease Department at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said the possibility of Trump’s transmission of the virus remained high on a YouTube show on Tuesday.
According to Lee, Korean statistics showed that a Covid-19 patient transmitted the virus to another person within 10 days. No case has been reported that an infected person caused another infection beyond 10 days, he added. In Korea, a Covid-19 patient has to stay at the hospital for at least 10 days, even if the patient has no symptoms, Lee said.
“If a Covid-19 patient has symptoms, the hospital discharges the patient one or two days after the improvement of symptoms. Normally, a Covid-19 patient stays at the hospital for two weeks,” Lee said.
In contrast, Trump was discharged at least one week earlier than the relaxed discharge period in Korea, he said.
In the U.S., many Covid-19 patients receive medical care at home.
However, the White House is not only Trump’s residence but also a working place, and officials could feel uncomfortable, Lee said.
The outbreak of Covid-19 is growing at the White House. Trump’s top speechwriter Stephen Miller tested positive and went into self-quarantine on Tuesday, joining the group of Trump’s close aides with the Covid-19 infection, including press advisor Hope Hicks. More than 12 aides of Trump, including Nick Luna, one of Trump’s assistants, have the virus, news reports said.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. had 7,436,278 confirmed cases, up by 39,548 from the previous day. A total of 209,560 people died of Covid-19. The U.S. has the largest number of Covid-19 confirmed cases and deaths in the world.
Lee said even if Korean President Moon Jae-in had contracted Covid-19, he would not get treatment at the Blue House. If Moon is diagnosed with Covid-19, he will be hospitalized at the Seoul National University Hospital, not at a military hospital, he added.
“If it is an urgent situation such as the president getting admitted due to Covid-19 infection, it could be possible for him to return to Cheong Wa Dae and get treated at an isolated facility. But he wouldn’t do so intentionally,” Lee said.
Korean health authorities have set principles for a Covid-19 situation, and Korean people agree that Covid-19 patients should stay at the hospital long enough not to cause trouble for others, he went on to say.
Thus, even if Moon contracts the virus, he would not return to Cheong Wa Dae early, he said.