![President Donald Trump removes his mask as he stands on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. [Alex Brandon / AP]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4ae3c27/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2F08%2FtrumpmaskOct5.jpg)
This week, President Donald Trump, who is being treated for COVID-19, left the hospital and announced that coronavirus is not something to be afraid of.
The New York Times reported Wednesday his three-day stay in the hospital would typically cost the average American more than $100,000.
The president’s health is a national security risk, so he’s getting care the average person might not receive, MetroHealth family physician Dr. Christine Alexander said.
“We very rightfully will try to get him good care, I just wish that that kind of care was available across the board in ways that right now, it just isn’t,” Alexander said.
President Trump left the White House while still on the drug Remdesivir, something that University Hospitals Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Keith Armitage said couldn’t happen for most people. The medicine is intravenous and typically needs to be administered in a hospital, even if the person is feeling better.
Armitage says he hopes the White House outbreak serves as a cautionary tale that masks are needed to prevent spread.
