President Trump's doctor won't talk about his lung scans, and reporters think that can't be good.
On his fourth day in the hospital after his coronavirus diagnosis, Trump's oxygen levels dropped several times, though he was still expected to leave the hospital that evening, Trump's doctor Sean Conley said Monday. But when Conley was asked what CT scans of Trump's lungs revealed, he shut down, citing HIPAA privacy regulations.
HIPAA would prevent Conley from getting into detail about Trump's lung scans, but it also probably would've stopped him from disclosing Trump's oxygen levels , and that he determined Trump was not "entirely out of the woods yet." Trump was also completely at liberty to revoke those protections and let Conley fully inform the public about his condition. CBS News' Kathryn Watson guessed Trump's refusal to do so meant Trump's CT scans held bad news.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Conley also refused to disclose when Trump last tested negative for COVID-19, though he didn't mention privacy and instead claimed he "didn't want to go backwards" — something contact tracing relies on.
-
A journey through Trinidad’s wild heartThe Week Recommends Experience the island’s natural wonders, from watching baby turtles hatch to visiting an ancient bat cave
-
Will latest Russian sanctions finally break Putin’s resolve?Today's Big Question New restrictions have been described as a ‘punch to the gut of Moscow’s war economy’
-
Quiz of The Week: 18 – 24 OctoberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
