UPDATE: Ex-N.J. Gov. Chris Christie prescribed drug Trump took to battle COVID-19, report says
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday remained hospitalized for a seventh day as he’s treated for COVID-19 — and it’s been nearly as long since he’s given a public update on how he’s doing.
Both Christie’s exact condition and his course of treatment remain unknown. The 58-year-old hasn’t tweeted since Saturday, the day he announced he checked into Morristown Medical Center. And doctors, family, and friends have not made any public announcements about how the former presidential candidate is doing.
A source familiar with the situation told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday that the 58-year-old was 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.
Christie’s successor, current Gov. Phil Murphy, said Thursday that he “exchanged notes” with the ex-governor on Wednesday night but had “no further insight” into his condition.
“He is a fighter, let there be no doubt about it,” Murphy said. “He’s the quintessential Jersey fighter. We’re all with him in thoughts, prayers, and we’re here to do whatever we can for him.”
Christie’s stay 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 last Saturday morning he tested positive for the the coronavirus — a day after President Donald 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. But Christie is the only one known to have been hospitalized.
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 ceremony where Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
At least 20 others at the Rose Garden event on Sept. 28 have since tested positive, including New Jersey natives Kellyanne Conway, a former adviser to the president, and Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager. Masks and social distancing were largely ignored at the ceremony, now feared to be a super-spreader event.
Trump announced he tested positive Thursday night and was taken to Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland last Friday. He returned to the White House on Monday evening after three days in the hospital and released a video saying he feels better than he has in 20 years and warning people not to let the virus “dominate your lives.”
Trump said Thursday night he wanted to hold a public rally Saturday in Florida. Instead, he is planning to hold a gathering at the White House, addressing supporters from a balcony with a little more than three weeks to go before Election Day.
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