US President Donald Trump makes his pledge to supply treatment for all vulnerable Americans. Photo / Twitter, @RealDonaldTrump
US President Donald Trump makes his pledge to supply treatment for all vulnerable Americans. Photo / Twitter, @RealDonaldTrump
President Donald Trump has declared he will provide an "incredible" drug treatment for Covid-19 to senior Americans without charge.
Trump, 74, standing on the White House lawn, posted on Twitter he wanted all senior Americans to "get the same care that I got".
Trump fell ill with the virus last Thursday, just 48 hours after debating Biden in person in Cleveland. While the two candidates remained a dozen feet apart during the debate, Trump's infection sparked health concerns for Biden and sent him to undergo multiple Covid-19 tests before returning to the campaign trail.
A researcher tests possible Covid-19 antibodies in a laboratory in Indianapolis. AP Photo / David Morrison
Trump was still contagious with the virus when he was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, but his doctors have not provided any detailed update on his status. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19 can be contagious for as many as — and should isolate for at least — 10 days.
Trump said the drug treatment at Walter Reed was remarkable. "I call it a cure."
"I'm a senior, I know you don't know that. Nobody knows that. Maybe you don't have to tell 'em, but I'm a senior.
"We are making tremendous progress with this horrible disease that was sent over by China. China will pay a big price for what they did to the world, and to us.
"We have medicines right now, I call them a cure. I went into the hospital a week ago, I was very sick. And I took this medicine and it was incredible. I could have walked out the following day, sooner. It was incredible the impact it had."
Without naming the drug, although it has previously been identified as an antibody compound produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Trump then stated he would make it available to "vulnerable" Americans.
"We're going to make that and others that are similar to it, almost identical. We're going to make them available, immediately. We have emergency-use authorisation that I want to get signed immediately. The FDA has moved at a level that they have never moved before. Things that have taken two, three, four years are taking a matter of weeks or even sooner than that. That's because of me.
President Donald Trump gives thumbs up as he stands on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House. AP Photo / Alex Brandon
"We're taking care of our seniors. You're not vulnerable, they like to say you're vulnerable but for this one thing, you are vulnerable.
"I want you to get the same care that I got. I got incredible care at Walter Reed, incredible doctors. And this medicine in particular, one medicine was unbelievable. You're going to get the same medicine, you're going to get it free. No charge."
Trump said the drug was "totally safe". "It's powerful against this disease."
He then took to criticising his opponent Joe Biden for not doing anything in the 47 years he'd been in office. "I've done more in 47 months than he did in 47 years.
Earlier, Trump declared he would skip next week's debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organisers said it would be held virtually due to Trump having Covid-19.
Trump's campaign is proposing delaying the two remaining presidential debates by one week to ensure the debates can take place in-person, rather than virtually.
The Commission on Presidential Debate announced Thursday that next week's town hall debate in Miami would be held virtually because Trump had the virus. The president immediately objected to that format, and he said he wouldn't take part.
Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement that the "American people should not be deprived of the chance to see the two candidates for president debate face to face two more times" before the election. Stepien says the campaign would like to see the town hall postponed by one week, to October 22, and the third debate held on October 29.
