‘That is not a man who is better’
BEVERLEY DOCTOR SAYS DONALD TRUMP IS ‘CLEARLY IN DISTRESS’
A DOCTOR from East Yorkshire who analysed footage of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday has said he was “in distress with his breathing” and “did not look better” after his battle with Covid-19.
Dr Zoe Norris, of Beverley, claimed he opened his mouth at one point to take a gasp of air and keep his lungs “fuller than normal”.
Trump returned to the White House on October 5, after a short stay in the Walter Reed military hospital following his diagnosis with coronavirus.
But despite claiming he could have been discharged two days earlier and felt “great” - even “better than 20 years ago” - Dr Norris has claimed “he did not look better” after arriving back at the White House, reports The Mirror.
She told BBC Breakfast: “If you look at the video from the balcony of the White House he is clearly in some distress with his breathing.
“That is not a man who is better. “He’s very braced, his shoulders are very square because he’s trying to keep his lungs slightly inflated and not let them go down and then he’s pulling on the neck as well.
“You can see at one moment he opens his mouth to take a gasp to try and keep those lungs a little bit fuller than normal, so it’s very clear from a medical point of view.”
The US President faced backlash following his return for removing his mask following his dramatic arrival back at the White House by helicopter.
He urged Americans not to fear the disease that has killed more than 209,000 people in the country and put him in hospital.
“Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it,” Trump said in a video.
“I’m better, and maybe I’m immune - I don’t know,” he added, flanked by American flags and with the Washington Monument in the background.
“Get out there. Be careful.”
Trump, who was treated by an army of doctors and received experimental treatment, has repeatedly played down a disease that has killed more than one million people worldwide and left his own country with the highest death toll in the world.
“I was aghast when he said Covid should not be feared,” said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
“This is a disease that is killing around a thousand people a day, has torpedoed the economy, put people out of work.
“This is a virus that should be both respected and feared.”
White House spokesman Judd Deere said every precaution was being taken to protect the president and his family, saying physical access to Trump would be limited and appropriate protective equipment would be worn by those near him.
You can see at one moment he opens his mouth to take a gasp
Dr Zoe Norris