The US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the novel Coronavirus caused disease, COVID-19 on Friday, October 2, despite receiving constant preventive treatment under the care of the medical staff at the White House, including an experimental antibody cocktail.
In a Tweet, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House Press Secretary tweeted a memo from Trump's physician that said he was injected with "a single 8-gram dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail." Trump was also being treated with vitamin D, zinc, melatonin, and daily aspirin. Even though the antibody cocktail was administered as "a precautionary measure," it is still an experimental treatment.
As the US president was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he is now receiving treatment for a novel Coronavirus infection, he has been administrated with anti-viral drug remdesivir--which many experts believe one of the most helpful medicine against COVID-19.
In a memo shared by McEnany, White House physician Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley wrote that Trump is doing "very well." The memo reads:
I release the following information with the permission of President Donald J. Trump.
This afternoon, in consultation with specialists from Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins University, I recommended movement of the President up to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further monitoring. This evening I am happy to report that the President is doing very well. He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy. He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably.
What do We Know About Melatonin and Coronavirus?
Melatonin is best known for helping to regulate sleep, which is difficult when someone is fighting with a virus that frequently causes a high fever. But it may play a very different role in combating COVID-19.
As per scientists as sleep helps to boost the immunity system against cold, influenza, and respiratory infection. Monika Haack, a psycho-neuroimmunologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston said that there is a lot of evidence which indicates that "if you have an adequate amount of sleep, you definitely can help to prevent or fight any kind of infection."
There are some findings that suggest that melatonin may help regulate the immune system, by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that play a central role in inflammatory diseases of infectious or noninfectious origin. But as per researchers, infected individuals with poor sleep developed worse symptoms, most likely due to the elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines' interference with immune cells, including T cells which help to fight a pathogen.
In a newly published study, researchers said, "Because of the lack of an available vaccine or effective antiviral treatment for COVID-19, the use of melatonin as an adjuvant might be worth consideration. Although the direct protective action of melatonin against COVID-19 is unknown." However, the researchers also noted that melatonin practical usage in the current Coronavirus outbreak "is suggested to be beneficial."
'Experimental Antibody Stupidness'
Dr. Stella Immanuel, who gained massive popularity on social media platforms for claiming hydroxychloroquine is a "cure" for the Coronavirus infection, has denounced White House doctors for not giving him the drug to treat his illness.
She expressed her outrage in recent tweets, posted on Friday after the Trump tested positive. She wrote, "Instead of giving the President of the United States a known safe drug. They gave him some experimental antibody stupidness. This is so dumb. Please POTUS family you guys wake up. Give him HCQ, Zpack & zinc asap." In an earlier tweet, she also said that whoever asked Trump to stop taking the anti-malaria drug HCQ should be "punched in the face."
The controversial video about HCQ's so-called effectiveness against the COVID-19 that included Immanuel and few more doctors was shared by Trump on Twitter. But later the video was removed from social media platforms for spreading misinformation.
At that time while talking about Immanuel, Trump said, "She was very impressive. I don't know which country she comes from, but she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of patients and I thought her voice was an important voice."
