US President Joe Biden ‘doing great’ after testing positive for Covid
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US President Joe Biden is resting at the White House after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 79-year-old is experiencing “quite minor symptoms” but will continue to carry out all of his duties despite being fully immunised and having received two booster shots, according to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
She added that the president was receiving Paxlovid, an antiviral medication.
In a tweet, Mr. Biden claimed to be “doing well” and “keeping busy.” His wife, First Lady Jill Biden, asserted that the test was negative.
The president will continue to work alone following White House policy and participate in meetings via the phone and Zoom, according to Ms. Jean-Pierre.
The White House COVID coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, reported that the president was worn out and suffering from a runny nose and dry cough.
Mr. Biden’s vaccination record plus the anti-viral medication he was receiving at the time made him “dramatically less likely” to have a serious disease. The speaker said that Mr. Biden would continue his regular activities following a negative test.
The most recent COVID test for Mr. Biden, the oldest president in US history who will turn 80 this year, came back negative on Tuesday, the White House reported.
Mr. Biden’s physician determined that he was “fit for duty” and described him as “healthy” and “vigorous” at his most recent physical examination in November, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS.
Although a White House official later stated that she was being regarded as a close contact of the president, the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, tested negative after contracting COVID back in April.
She would be given presidential powers if Mr. Biden was ill and couldn’t do his job.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 89.7 million COVID cases in the US and more than one million fatalities. According to CDC data, the number of cases in the US has increased by more than 25% over the past month.