Marconi: Trump has ‘to really watch himself’
RIDGEFIELD — President Donald Trump needs to be cautious and take his COVID-19 diagnosis seriously, according to First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
He should know. Marconi, a Democrat who has served the suburban town of a little more than 24,000 for two decades, recovered from his own bout of COVID-19 earlier this year.
“Take the politics out of it, take the media out of it ... bottom line — he’s got to really watch himself,” Marconi said during a phone interview Sunday.
The president’s physician on Sunday said Trump “has continued to improve,” despite his blood oxy
gen level falling twice in recent days, and suggested the president may be discharged from the hospital as soon as Monday.
“If he’s coming home tomorrow, as was said at the press conference,” Marconi said the president’s treatment with steroids and remdesivir, a drug used in moderate and severe cases of COVID-19 was either highly effective or “he doesn’t have what I had.”
Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., by helicopter Friday afternoon, hours after the president announced on Twitter he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus.
During a news conference Sunday, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley, the president’s physician, said Trump had a “high fever” and that his oxygen levels had dropped below 94 percent Friday and “during another episode” Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
Blood oxygen saturation is a key metric doctors use to diagnose and chart the course of COVID-19 in patients.
During Marconi’s battle with the virus, the first selectman said his blood oxygen saturation fell to as low as 83 percent.
“As you probably know, what that means is your organs are not getting the oxygen they need to survive. Your blood is not feeding your organs,” Marconi said.
Marconi, who at 72 years old is close in age to the 74-year-old Trump, noted “striking similarities” in their personal health that put them more at risk to the virus.
Both are pre-diabetic and have to deal with raised cholesterol and monitor their pulmonary health, Marconi said. “The only thing I didn’t have is his weight,” the first selectman said.
At 244 pounds, according to his physical in June, Trump is slightly obese, which doctors consider an additional risk factor for COVID-19 patients.
Based on reports the president had been placed on oxygen, Marconi said he suspects Trump has a more severe case of the illness than Marconi’s wife, who experienced mild symptoms while she helped the first selectman recover at home.
“He’s going to be tired for a while,” Marconi said. He said he was surprised, however, that the president appeared to be active.
“One thing about this virus— you don’t wanna get up,” said Marconi.
During his bout with the disease, his wife, Peggy, was responsible for getting him out of bed and walking him around their home to keep his blood flowing— all while Marconi was tethered to several feet of oxygen tube.
He would periodically stick his head out the back door to do heavy breathing exercises with fresh air, he said.
In patients with severe cases of COVID-19, blood clotting can develop, sometimes with lethal results, researchers have found.
Marconi learned of his diagnosis on April 6. “Every symptom you’ve ever had, you name it, hits you all at once,” he said of the experience.
After two weeks, during which he stayed at home under his wife’s care, he said he started to feel better. Months later, he said his sense of smell and taste are still affected.
While he said during his bout of the illness he “couldn’t function” as first selectman, Marconi said he is not concerned the government will grind to a halt with the president’s illness.
“But it’s serious, the president is the free world leader,” he added. “The whole world is watching. How it’s handled is going to be critical.”
For Marconi, the episode highlights the importance of taking the virus seriously.
“This needs to be a clear message to everybody —there’s no one who’s protected from this. The best we can do is wash your hands, wear your face mask and avoid gatherings,” he said.
As for those who aren’t taking it seriously, he has a message.
“You’re lucky if you escape this virus, because it doesn’t care. It doesn’t care who you are,” he said.