Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, took to Facebook to thank everyone who helped and prayed for him and his wife Candy as they battled COVID-19.
"Thank you everyone for your support and prayers as Candy and I battled COVID-19," he said.
Carson said he came to a point of being "extremely sick," and that his condition improved after being given Oleander 4X. This was followed by a short period of having only minor symptoms. However, because he has other medical conditions, his minor symptoms "accelerated" and he "became desperately ill."
Fortunately, he was cleared to receive monoclonal antibody therapy, the same treatment given to Pres. Donald Trump, and he recovered.
"President Trump was following my condition and cleared me for the monoclonal antibody therapy that he had previously received, which I am convinced saved my life," Carson said.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, monoclonal antibody treatment uses laboratory manufactured proteins that mimic the action of human antibodies in the immune system. Monoclonal antibodies boost the body's ability to ward off harmful substances like viruses. The FDA has made this kind of treatment is available only by emergency use authorization (EUA).
Carson thanked the White House medical team and the Walter Reed medical team who tended to him. The secretary believes he has overcome the more difficult hurdle of the illness, saying he is now "out of the woods."
While grateful for getting excellent medical care, Carson said the country should now focus on making comparable treatments accessible to everyone. He hoped this can be done through combined efforts and by not "playing politics."
On Nov. 10, Carson's deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker said in a statement to ABC News that the secretary experienced some symptoms that led him to be tested for the coronavirus, and his test result came out positive.
At that time, Baker said the secretary was "in good spirits" and was glad to have access to "effective therapeutics." Carson also wrote on his social media page that he would be on quarantine for a few days, but he was well enough to continue working.
After overcoming the difficult part of the illness, Carson is optimistic that when effective treatments are made available to the public, the country can return to a sense of normalcy and the economy can reopen. He said there are already "promising treatments" being studied.
He also warned against those who are instilling fear to the public by saying vaccine development is being done with "dangerous shortcuts." He explained that developing a vaccine involves very specific and legal steps that need to be completed before a vaccine can be approved.
"There are a number of promising treatments that need to be tested, approved, and distributed (sooner rather than later) so that the economy can be re-opened and we can all return to a semblance of normalcy," he said.
"Together we will be victorious. God is still in charge," Carson said.
