Iran Press/ America: Trump turned 74 in June. For people who have Covid, the risk of hospitalization and death rises with age. People between ages 65 and 74 are five times more likely to be hospitalized and 90 times more likely to die, compared with patients between 18 and 29, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Melania Trump, who is 50, would be considered lower-risk than her husband. Men have accounted for 54% of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. between Feb. 1 and Sept. 26, according to the CDC. And among the women who have died, nearly 84% have been older than 65.
Trump’s body-mass index, a measure based on height and weight that doctors use to measure body fat, also creates potential hazards. At the time of his annual physical exam in June, the president stood 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, giving him a BMI of 30.5. A figure of 30 or greater is considered obese.
It’s not clear whether Trump has any symptoms. Why some coronavirus cases become serious and others remain mild is a question that continues to baffle doctors and researchers. A majority of the world’s cases are categorized as mild.
“Covid’s like playing Russian roulette,” said Brian Oliver, an expert in respiratory diseases at the University of Technology Sydney. “It can affect anyone really badly, but we know that when people are older and when they’ve got more pre-existing co-morbidities, the chances of being affected and having a more severe reaction are much worse.”
Meanwhile, Trump's physician Sean Conley released a statement stating that the President and First Lady "are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence".
Trump has played down the impact of coronavirus in recent weeks, just the other day saying "it affects virtually nobody" except the elderly and the vulnerable.
Trump has also typically ignored official advice on the use of face coverings.
It is not clear how the remainder of the campaign will be impacted by the shocking news, with a second debate scheduled to take place on October 15.
The US has registered over 207,000 deaths and more than 7.2 million cases – both the highest in the world.
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