US president, Donald Trump, was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday night to be treated for Covid-19 after announcing on his social media handles that he had contracted the deadly disease.
The hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, is the United States’ biggest military medical center that cares “for the wounded, ill, and injured from global conflicts.” and has close to 7,000 staff workers take care of those who are hospitalized.
The hospital is located nine miles from the White House in Washington, DC and has 244 beds and 50 intensive care unit beds.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Friday that Trump would be spending a “few days” in the hospital’s presidential suite.
The suite, known as Ward 71, is equipped to allow the president of the United States to keep up with his official duties even while in the hospital.
The suite which is around 3,000 square feet includes bedroom-type areas, living rooms with couches, a doctor’s office, conference room, office space, and a dining room.
According to USA Today, the presidential suite “is one of six special patient rooms reserved for high-ranking military officers and members of the White House cabinet.”
The White House controls the entire presidential suite unlike other parts of the hospital controlled by Walter Reed administrators and the Defense Department.
If the White House doctor can't treat something specifically, the medical center has "prescreened specialists whose background checks are already done are available to the president."
Trump's chief of staff has his own office space in the suite, while the White House doctor has sleeping quarters there so they could be constantly there while he is constantly being treated 24/7.
If Trump's condition worsens, he will have to transfer power to Vice President Mike Pence using the 25th amendment .
With just 5 weeks to the election, such a scenario will dramatically upset the US presidential election.
US president Donald Trump, was dramatically airlifted to hospital on Friday evening, October 2, amid reports he is "struggling to breath" after contracting the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
In extraordinary scenes at the White House on Friday, Trump, 74, was rushed via helicopter to Walter Reed medical center near Washington DC out of an "abundance of caution" after after showing coronavirus symptoms - putting the US election in jeopardy with just weeks to go.
Hours after he was transported to the hospital via presidential helicopter Marine One, Trump tweeted: "Going well, I think! Thank you to all. LOVE!!!"
Trump could be seen with a team of Secret service officials all wearing mask as he was being transported.
After it was reported Trump was "struggling to breathe," White House doctor Sean P Conley said Trump was given a dose of Remdesivir and that the president is "doing very well" and "is not requiring any supplemental oxygen."
Remdesivir, recently approved as an emergency treatment for Covid-19 is
used for the treatment of Ebola, SARS, and hepatitis C.
According to CNN reports, White House officials "have serious concerns about Trump's condition tonight as his symptoms are worse than those of the First Lady at this point."
Trump is reported to be "very tired, very fatigued, and having some trouble breathing."
A White House official insisted Trump is “fatigued but he's not deteriorating"
"The public shouldn't be worried because Trump is taking this very seriously."
Shortly after he was transported to the military hospital in Maryland, Trump tweeted out a video of himself thanking "everybody for the tremendous support."
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