White House physician Sean Conley declined on Monday to say when President Trump last tested negative for COVID-19 or what his lung scans have shown, citing HIPAA regulations as preventing him from doing so.
When asked by a reporter when Trump last tested negative, Conley said he didn’t want to “go backwards.” The physician also declined to outline how Trump would be quarantined at the White House after he is discharged from Walter Reed on Monday night. And asked again for the timeline of Trump’s last negative COVID-19 test, Conley said, “Everyone wants that” but refused to provide an answer to the question.
Conley also said he was “not at liberty to discuss” whether the president’s lung scans showed signs of pneumonia or inflammation.
“You’re actively not telling us what those lung scans showed, just to be clear?” a reporter asked.
“There are HIPAA rules and regulations that restrict me in sharing certain things for his safety and his own health and reasons,” Conley responded.
During Monday’s briefing, Conley noted that Trump was in “uncharted territory” because of the level of treatment he has received early into his diagnosis. “If we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving better yet, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief,” Conley said.