STAT: ‘Covid is all about privilege’: Trump’s treatment underscores vast inequalities in access to care
“As the symptoms of Covid-19 took hold, President Trump got an infusion of an experimental antibody cocktail and was whisked by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. When his oxygen levels dipped, he was quickly put on a steroid normally given to patients with severe cases of the disease. At every step of the way, the president has had a team of expert physicians carefully monitoring his care. That experience is a world away from the stressful waiting game most patients wade through after a positive test. … If the president’s privileged treatment is understandable given his prominence, the contrast is no less stark for millions of Americans who have faced down Covid-19 in their homes or local hospitals, where barriers to cutting-edge care do not simply melt at the mere mention of their names or job titles…” (Ross et al., 10/6).

Additional coverage of Trump’s release from the hospital and downplaying of the novel coronavirus is available from AP and Washington Post (2).