How Donald Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19, downplayed the pandemic for long

United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on October 2, just after one of his top aide also tested positive for the disease.

Hope Hicks, a top adviser to Trump, had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing symptoms. Hicks was known to regularly travel with the president on Air Force One and, along with other senior aides, had accompanied him to Ohio for the US presidential debate.

As of October 2, 72.6 lakh people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19. The death toll from the outbreak has surged past 2.07 lakh.

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The president has come under sharp criticism over his response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has led to more than two lakh deaths in the United States alone. Trump has touted his management of the crisis.

Even after White House staff were infected and fell sick, Trump continued to downplay concerns about being personally vulnerable to getting infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The president, a well-known germaphobe, had also refused to wear a protective mask in the West Wing of the White House.“I felt no vulnerability whatsoever,” Trump had told reporters in May.

In fact, Trump and his Democratic Party rival Joe Biden had clashed during the first presidential debate on September 29 over his handling of the pandemic and refusal to wear a face mask.

Trump said he supported wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but claimed that experts have offered differing advice on the issue. “I have a mask right here,” Trump said, pulling a mask out of his pocket. “I put a mask on when I think I need it.”

He also criticised Biden for wearing a mask frequently. “I don’t wear masks like him,” Trump said. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.”

“I’m on a stage that’s very far away, and so, I’m not at all concerned,” LA Review-Journal quoted him as saying in September and rejecting concerns about crowded rallies.

On multiple occasions, Trump described COVID-19 as just common flu. "So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!" Trump said in a tweet in March.

Instead, Trump had encouraged governors to reopen their states. He had also tried to focus the nation’s attention on efforts to revive the economy impacted by the pandemic. This has been the core of his re-election campaign for the presidential elections scheduled for November 3.

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The president had also touted anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and had claimed that he had been taking doses of the same, claiming it had no adverse effects. This was despite warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it was aware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with HCQ or an older drug, chloroquine.

Trump is 74 years old, which puts him at greater risk of serious complications arising out of the infection.