Biden has COVID, experiencing ‘very mild’ symptoms, press secretary says
President Joe Biden on Thursday tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “very mild symptoms,” the White House announced, but he plans to continue carrying out his duties for the time being.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is isolating in the White House residence but will “participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence.”
Jean-Pierre said Biden, who has been vaccinated for the coronavirus and received two booster shots, had last tested for COVID on Tuesday, when the results came back negative. The president is now taking Paxlovid, an anti-viral medication used to treat COVID cases, the press secretary added.
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Jean-Pierre said the White House will give daily updates about the president’s health. He will work in isolation until he begins to test negative, she said.
Biden, 79, is the second president to test positive for the virus while in office, following former President Donald Trump.
In a letter provided by the White House, Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, wrote that Biden’s COVID diagnosis was confirmed by two tests. He added that Biden is experiencing a runny nose, fatigue, and “occasional dry cough,” which started Wednesday evening.
“The president is fully vaccinated and twice-boosted, so I anticipate that he will respond favorably, as most maximally protected patients do,” O’Connor wrote.
First lady Jill Biden, visiting Detroit on Thursday, tested negative for the coronavirus, a spokesman for her office said. She will stick to her travel schedule and visit Georgia later on Thursday, the spokesman added.
Biden was scheduled to travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania., and Philadelphia on Thursday, a trip that has now been canceled. He was also supposed to travel to Orlando and Tampa on Monday, a visit that appears in serious doubt now.
The country has seen a surge of cases of COVID-19 thanks to the emergence of a new coronavirus subvariant, BA.5, that health experts say more easily infects people who have been previously sick with the virus and those who have been vaccinated, compared to earlier strains. BA.5 is an offshoot of the omicron variant, which first emerged late last year.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 7:31 AM with the headline "Biden has COVID, experiencing ‘very mild’ symptoms, press secretary says."