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Almost two weeks after President Donald Trump announced that he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus, Melania Trump has revealed that their son, Barron, also contracted COVID-19.
The first lady shared her personal experience with the virus in an essay posted to the White House website on Wednesday, as well as her fears over her son’s safety, even though he tested negative at first. “Naturally my mind went immediately to our son,” she wrote. “To our great relief he tested negative, but again, as so many parents have thought over the past several months, I couldn’t help but think ‘what about tomorrow or the next day?’”
“ “My fear came true when [Barron] was tested again and it came up positive.” ”
She expressed gratitude that Barron is “a strong teenager” who remained asymptomatic, and wrote that he has since tested negative. The first lady also shared a silver lining to the First Family all getting sick at once: “In one way I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together.”
She acknowledged that COVID-19 has had a graver impact on millions of American families, however, as more than 216,000 people have died, and millions have lost their jobs. “I also thought about the hundreds of thousands of people across our country who have been impacted by this illness that infects people with no discrimination,” she wrote. “I want people to know that I understand just how fortunate my family is to have received the kind of care that we did. If you are sick, or if you have a loved one who is sick — I am thinking of you and will be thinking of you every day. I pray for our country and I pray for everyone who is grappling with COVID-19 and any other illnesses or challenges.”
Melania Trump described her own illness as a “roller coaster of symptoms,” which included body aches, headaches, a cough and extreme fatigue. “I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food,” she wrote.
On the other hand, President Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Center as a cautionary measure. He was treated with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s REGN, -1.17% experimental neutralizing antibody cocktail, Gilead Sciences Inc.’s GILD, -0.68% remdesivir, and the steroid dexamethasone. The latter is often used to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients. Trump was also given supplemental oxygen at least once, his physician Dr. Sean Conley confirmed, and the president was also taking zinc, vitamin D, an acid reducer, melatonin and aspirin.
As of Monday, the White House doctor said the president had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days using a newer rapid test from Abbott Laboratories ABT, -0.24% . He is set to appear in a town hall on NBC this Thursday in a competing time slot against Joe Biden
The first lady disclosed in her essay that she has also now tested negative, and hopes to resume her duties soon. “Thank you to everyone who reached out, and offered well wishes and prayers for our family,” she concluded. “You remain in ours as well.”
