A day after President Donald Trump took to Twitter stating that he had tested positive for COVID-19, many have been baffled by the briefing held by his medical team. More specifically, they say that the timeline does not add up.
While Trump had tweeted at 8:14 am (IST) on October 2, to state that he was quarantining, it was only at 10:24 am (IST) on the same day that he announced that he had indeed contacted the virus.
Hours after he began recuperating in the Walter Reeds Hospital however, his medical team baffled many after stating that it had been 72 hours into his COVID-19 ordeal. "Just 72 hours into the diagnosis now..." Dr. Sean Conley was heard saying during the briefing.
This prompted a flurry of tweets as people realised that if it had indeed been 72 hours, President Trump had tested positive the day after the Presidential Debate with Joe Biden. While some wondered why the President had wandered around for a full day after that, others still were confused as to why the Democratic camp had not been informed earlier, if he had indeed tested positive 72 hours ago.
Not only that, in the day before he had announced that he had contacted the virus, the President had not been in isolation. He had met with officials in Minnesota and been a part of a fundraiser in New Jersey.
Many others claimed that Trump may not have taken a COVID-19 test before the debate. Debate moderator Chris Wallace has reportedly said that President Trump and his family had not arrived in Cleveland early enough to be tested before the start of the debate. "There was an honor system when it came to the people that came into the hall from the two campaigns," he was quoted as saying.
But even as the backlash and confusion continued, his physician had issued a clarification. Dr Conley now says that he had gotten mixed and accidentally said '72 hours' rather than 'Day 3'.
"The President was first diagnosed with COVID-19 on the evening of Thursday, October 1st and had received Regeneron's antibody cocktail on Friday, October 2nd,” Conley was quoted as saying.
