COVID-19 complications, given Trump's age and weight, could kill him: Reports

US President Donald Trump, who’s been tested positive for COVID-19, is at a high risk for a severe infection due to his advanced age and being overweight, according to reports. The COVID-19 complications can even kill him.  

Trump announced on Thursday night that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, just a month ahead of the presidential election.

Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020

Trump, who is 74-year-old, is five times more likely to get hospitalized and 90 times more likely to die from the virus complications than someone between the age of 18 and 29, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Eight out of 10 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the United States have been among people aged 65 and older, The Hill reported.  

“People in their 60s and 70s are, in general, at higher risk for several illnesses than people in their 50s,” the CDC said.

And, Trump is “morbidly obese,” according to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Pelosi had warned Trump, who has a heart condition and takes drugs to reduce high cholesterol, of not taking hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the coronavirus caused disease COVID-19.

Pelosi warns 'morbidly obese' Trump not to take hydroxychloroquine

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns "morbidly obese" Donald Trump of taking hydroxychloroquine.

Trump has said that he had been using the malaria drug after one of his personal valets tested positive for the coronavirus.

In June, the White House announced Trump weighed 244 pounds (110.6 kilograms) at 6 feet 3 inches tall, giving him a body mass index (BMI) of just over 30. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or higher.

Obesity is one of the main underlying conditions that increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and may triple the risk of hospitalization.

According to a study published in Nature, older men appear to be up to twice as likely to die from COVID-19 complications compared to women of the same age.

Trump's positive COVID-19 test just came after he claimed on Thursday night that the end of the pandemic was in sight, capping a months-long underplaying of the seriousness of the virus.

He has come under sharp criticism for his response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 207,000 people in the United States alone.

In his first presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden that unraveled into an ugly melee on Tuesday, Trump voiced impatience with a range of public-health restrictions, reiterating his demands that the country return to normal, and called on Democratic governors to "open these states up” quickly. 

But even on a matter as grave as the pandemic, Trump indulged freely in personal mockery.

Donald Trump biggest driver of Covid-19 misinformation: Study

US President Donald Trump has been the world

When Biden called him "totally irresponsible” for holding mass rallies without health protections in place, Trump responded by mocking Biden’s more constrained events, suggesting the former vice president would hold large events, too, "if you could get the crowds.”

Biden tests negative for COVID-19

Biden and his wife Jill Biden have tested negative for COVID-19, his doctor said on Friday.

"Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected," said Kevin O'Connor, Biden's primary care physician.

Biden also tweeted that he and his wife had tested negative for the virus.

I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2020

“I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID,” Biden tweeted. “Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”

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