Dizzy with a soaring fever and unable to breathe, Scott Sedlacek had one thing going for him: He was among the first people to be treated for Covid-19 at Seattle’s Swedish Medical Centre, and the doctors and nurses were able to give him plenty of attention.

According to an AP feature, the 64-year-old recovered after being treated with a bronchial nebuliser in March, but the ensuing months have done little to dull the trauma of his illness. Hearing of US President Donald Trump’s advice by tweet and video on Monday not to fear the disease — as well as the president’s insistence on riding in a motorcade outside Walter Reed Medical Centre and returning to the White House while still infectious — enraged him.

“I’m so glad that he appears to be doing well, that he has doctors who can give him experimental drugs that aren’t available to the masses,” Sedlacek said. “For the rest of us, who are trying to protect ourselves, that behaviour is an embarrassment.”