Trump posted on Twitter at 1 a.m. Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus, and the White House announced Friday afternoon that she had been treated with experimental antibody therapy by Regeneran.
However, during a briefing just before noon on Saturday, Conley said Trump had “only 72 hours to diagnose”, which would keep his diagnosis Wednesday afternoon. Another doctor, Dr. Brian Garibaldi, said Trump was treated with experimental antibody therapy “about 48 hours ago,” which was Thursday afternoon.
Doctors did not resolve the time differences during the briefing, but on Saturday afternoon, Conley released a memo aimed at clarifying the timeline.
“When summing up the President’s health this morning, I misused the term ‘seventy-two hours’ instead of ‘day three’ and ‘fourth eight hours’ instead of ‘day three’ in relation to his diagnosis and administration of polyclonal antibody therapy.
“The president was diagnosed with COVID – 19 on Thursday evening, October 1, and received Regger’s antibody cocktail on Friday, October 2.”
The memo contained typos, including the name of the treatment company Trump received, Regeneran. A Regeneran spokesman told CNN that the treatment was monoclonal antibody therapy, not polyclonal antibody therapy. The memo did not note that the 48-hour comment was not Garibaldi, Conley.
Trump took part in the first presidential debate on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Clinic, which hosted the discussion, confirmed to CNN that everyone in the forum needed a negative Kovid-19 test, but did not disclose when the tests were taken, what tests were used or how the campaign was advertised.
Trump visited Minnesota on Wednesday. And on Thursday – after Trump aide Hope Hicks developed the features – the president attended a fundraiser in Bedminster, New Jersey, which included an indoor VIP reception with an indoor roundtable, socially remote photo-op and an outdoor reception.
Chaotic timeline
Although Trump said he had 72 hours to diagnose his condition, he said he was tested positive for coronavirus Thursday night during a briefing Saturday at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Conley did not say when Trump’s last negative Kovid-19 test took place.
“I’m not going to go back to all the exams,” Conley said during a briefing on Saturday. “But he and all the staff … will be routinely tested.”
When asked about the 72-hour comment, Conley said, “So following the news of the close acquaintance on Thursday afternoon when we were repeatedly testing.
“And we’re a little more concerned if clinical indications were given. And late that night he got a PCR diagnosis …” Conley said.
During a briefing that same Saturday, Garibaldi, one of the team of doctors treating Trump in Walter Reed, told reporters that Trump was being treated with experimental antibody therapy “about 48 hours ago,” which was set for Thursday afternoon.
“About 48 hours ago, the president received special antibody therapy against coronavirus,” Garibaldi said Saturday afternoon.
In a memo released Friday afternoon, Conley said, “After the PCR-verification of the President’s confirmation, he received a dose of 8 grams of Regeneran’s polyclonal antibody cocktail as a precautionary measure.” The memo did not specify when the PCR diagnosis was made.
Regeneran confirmed that Trump provided an 8-gram dose of its antibody therapy for use, but it never received the request.
CNN’s Jen Christensen and Jason Hoffman contributed to the report.
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