Trump's age, weight make Covid-19 dangerous
US President Donald Trump is 74 years old and overweight, putting him in a higher-risk group of Covid-19 patients and thrusting his health in to the spotlight only a month prior to the US election.
The positive diagnosis for the world's most powerful man and First Lady Melania Trump threw a fresh wrench into the gears of a chaotic campaign that many see as a referendum on his handling of the virus. Mr Trump's age, weight and gender all make him more vunerable to problems than his wife, who's 24 years younger.
Even at his age, most patients experience only mild or moderate symptoms, but researchers remain baffled as to the reasons some go on to be seriously ill. "Covid's like playing Russian roulette," said Associate Professor Brian Oliver, an expert in respiratory diseases at the University of Technology Sydney. "
It could affect anyone really badly, but we realize that when people are older so when they've got more pre-existing co-morbidities, the probability of being damaged and having a far more severe reaction are much worse." It isn't clear if the President has any observeable symptoms. The First Lady said in a tweet that she and her husband "are feeling good".
Although Mr Trump has been dismissive of preventive measures such as for example mask-wearing, increasing the likelihood of further transmission in Washington, he and the First Lady intend to remain at the White House "throughout their convalescence", the President's physician said.
People between ages 65 and 74 are five times much more likely to be hospitalized and 90 times much more likely to die than those 18 to 29, in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men have accounted for 54 % of Covid-19 deaths in the United States, in line with the CDC.
