BOISE — President Trump is home from Walter Reed Medical Center after undergoing treatment for his COVID-19 diagnosis. Doctors confirm the treatment he received is one of several therapies currently being studied and used to battle the virus.
President Trump received an antibody cocktail developed by the drug maker Regeneron. Not everyone can get this treatment because it's only being used in a research study, and it's not available in Idaho.
However, now that doctors and scientists have had months to study the disease, there are more therapy options available for treating COVID-19.
"COVID is not just a respiratory disease, it's not just a cold, it's not the worst cold you've ever had, what COVID is, is a thromboembolic neuroinvasive disease that causes profound inflammation through your body," said Dr. Nemerson, chief clinical officer with Saint Alphonsus.
The main treatments are geared towards relieving symptoms, and most people can treat it at home. There are aggressive interventions when warranted, starting with oxygen, fluids, and respiratory care.
"Other therapies we've learned are beneficial in the short term are blood thinner medications for patients at risk of clotting, immunomodulation therapy for patients who have signs their immune system is going wild," said Nemerson,
"the one you've heard about is dexamethasone; it's a steroid, it can help to calm down the response."
Those therapies are available in Idaho, as are treatments centered on controlling the virus' duplication.
"We can't cure it, we can't eradicate it, our bodies have to do it by themselves," said Nemerson.
President Trump shared on Twitter he's feeling great. In a recent video, he said that the vaccines are "coming momentarily," though doctors say more research is needed before a vaccine is available to the public.
"When that vaccine is available, there is no healthcare provider in the state of Idaho and in the U.S. that is going to be administered unless it's scientifically proven to be safe," said Nemerson.
