Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been hospitalized for COVID-19 for nearly a week, told CNN that doctors have prescribed him remdesivir, an anti-viral drug that President Donald Trump took while he was recently hospitalized with the coronavirus.
It’s unclear when Christie told the news network about the prescription. But the network report late Friday has one of the few details known about his condition or treatment since he entered Morristown Medical Center last Saturday after becoming another person in Trump’s inner circle to test positive for the virus.
The 58-year-old former presidential candidate was hospitalized for a seventh day Friday, and appears to have the most serious case among the Trump aides and allies who have caught the illness, CNN said. Others are either recovering at home or waiting to find out test results, CNN reported.
Christie has not tweeted since announcing he was admitted Oct. 3. Nor has he, family members, or friends made any public statement about how he’s doing.
A source familiar with the situation told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday that Christie in good spirits, getting good care, and is not on a ventilator. Multiple sources said there were no changes to that as of Friday afternoon.
Remdesivir gained attention earlier this year amid the pandemic. Doctors say it’s been helpful treating more serious cases of COVID-19.
The federal government sent the drug to numerous hard-hit states in May, include 4,400 vials to New Jersey. State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said then the drug can improve recovery time for patients from 15 to 11 days.
Christie’s stay in Morristown is longer than an average COVID-19 hospitalization. Five days is the median length of hospital stays for coronavirus patients outside of China, according to an analysis of 52 studies published last month in BMC Medicine.
But Adam Jarrett, chief medical officer at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, told NJ Advance Media a seven- to nine-day hospital admission “doesn’t surprise me at all with this disease.”
Christie announced Saturday morning he tested positive for the the coronavirus — a day after Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced they had tested positive. Since then, more than a dozen aides and officials in Trump’s orbit have also tested positive.
Christie — who has struggled with his weight and has a long history of asthma — tweeted last Saturday night that despite “feeling good” and having only “mild symptoms,” he checked himself into the hospital Saturday as a precautionary measure. Because of his conditions, the Mendham resident is at higher risk of developing complications from the virus.
Morristown Medical Center is not just his local hospital but also one of the most highly rated health care facilities in the state and the country.
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In the week before his positive test, Christie spent four days helping Trump prepare for the first presidential debate, often in a room with five or six people where no one wore masks. Christie — a longtime Trump friend and ally and fellow Republican — also attended the now-infamous Rose Garden…
Read More News: Ex-N.J. Gov. Chris Christie was prescribed drug Trump took to battle COVID-19, report
