(WXYZ) — President Trump who recently tested positive for the coronavirus is more at risk for developing COVID-19 complications due to his age.
The President’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said earlier today that the president is being treated with an antibody cocktail from biotechnology company Regeneron.
First of all, I’d like to wish both President Trump and the First Lady, who also tested positive for the virus, a speedy recovery. I am praying that he does well, especially for our country’s sake.
Now, Regeneron’s antibody cocktail, called REGN-COV2, contains two antibodies rolled into one treatment. Now the idea behind using two antibodies is that they will hopefully work together. To bind to and neutralize the virus so that it can’t replicate itself.
Now, Regeneron recently released limited data from their on-going trial. And the data suggests that this antibody cocktail can improve symptoms and also reduce the amount of time that a patient is sick. And best of all, the study found that patients whose immune system hadn’t already built up an immune response to the virus had the greatest improvements.
I am concerned for the President’s health because of his risk factors. He’s 74-years-old and when we look at the data, it tells us that roughly 80% of the people who have died from COVID-19 are those aged 65 or older. So that’s one concerning risk factor.
There are two more - his weight and the fact that he’s a man. Men in general are more likely to suffer from severe illness and they’re more likely to die than women. As for his weight, he unfortunately is mildly obese. And data shows that obesity can triple a person’s risk of being hospitalized.
We know that the President was not a fan of masks, but I can’t stress enough how important masks are. Face masks can trap droplets when a person talks, coughs, or sneezes. So this really cuts back on how much virus gets out into the air. And face masks also help lessen the chance that you’ll breathe these droplets in. So please wear a mask and also continue social distancing, hand washing, and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces. These are the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones.
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