Washington – President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, confined to the White House to recover from apparently mild symptoms, as his doctor said he should respond well to treatment as he is fully vaccinated and strengthened against the coronavirus.
The president, who is 79, has started taking Paxlovid, an antiviral treatment made by Pfizer, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement announcing his diagnosis. The positive test is the first time Mr. Biden has contracted the coronavirus.
“According to CDC guidelines, it will be isolated in the White House and will continue to perform all of its functions fully during that time,” he said. “He has been in contact with White House staff members by phone this morning and will be attending his scheduled meetings at the White House this morning by phone and Zoom from the residence.”
In a video message on Twitter, Mr. Biden provided an update on his condition, saying he was continuing to work from the White House residence.
“Hey folks, I guess you’ve heard: I tested positive for COVID this morning. But I got a double shot and a double boost. The symptoms are mild,” the president said. “And I really appreciate your inquiries and concerns. But I’m doing well, doing a lot of work, I’ll keep doing it. And in the meantime, thank you for your concern and keeping the faith. It’s going to be OK.”
An update from me: pic.twitter.com/L2oCR0uUTu
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 21, 2022
Mr. Biden’s antigen test first detected the coronavirus, and the result was confirmed by a PCR test, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, said in a letter published by the White House He is experiencing a runny nose, occasional dry cough, and fatigue.
The president is fully vaccinated – he received his first shot from Pfizer in December 2020 and the second in January 2021 – and has received two booster shots, the most recent in late March. O’Connor wrote that he anticipates the president “will respond favorably, as do most patients with maximum protection” to the treatment.
At a press conference with Jean-Pierre in the afternoon, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s COVID response coordinator, said the president’s “risk of serious illness is dramatically lower” because he has been fully vaccinated and is being treated with Paxlovid.
“It’s a reminder of why we all work so hard to make sure every American has the same level of protection as the president,” Jha told reporters.
Before Thursday’s test, Mr. Biden had recently been tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday and the result was negative, Jean-Pierre said. First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 Thursday morning in Delaware, according to her spokesman Michael LaRosa. The first lady also confirmed her negative test to reporters Thursday in Detroit.
“I spoke to him a few minutes ago,” the first lady said of her husband. “It’s okay, it feels good.”
Mr. Biden will continue to “work in isolation until he tests negative,” Jean-Pierre said, after which he will return to work in person. The White House will provide daily updates on the president’s condition “for great transparency,” he continued.
In a message to White House aides obtained by CBS News, Chief of Staff Ron Klain wrote: “We have long said there was a substantial possibility that the president, like anyone else, could have COVID, and we have prepared for it. We are now executing our plan so that the President can continue to work smoothly from the Residence.”
The president was scheduled to travel to Pennsylvania on Thursday, first to Wilkes-Barre for comments on a crime prevention plan, then to Philadelphia for a fundraising reception for the Democratic National Committee. That trip will no longer take place, and will remain in the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who had the virus earlier this year, is currently in North Carolina and will wear a mask on the advice of the White House medical team, according to a White House official. He tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday morning and was the last with Mr. Biden on Tuesday, he said. The president and vice president also spoke by phone Thursday.
The diagnosis comes days after the president returned from a four-day trip to the Middle East, his first as president, and the day after delivering remarks in Massachusetts about the actions his administration is taking to combat the climate change. Mr. Biden was joined on the trip aboard Air Force One by members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation, including Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Democrats. Warren tested negative Thursday, according to her spokesman, as did Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who also traveled with the president, his communications director tweeted.
The White House Medical Unit will notify all of Mr. Biden’s close contacts of his positive test, Jean-Pierre said, including those who interacted with the president during his trip on Wednesday. The president interacted with several politicians on Wednesday when he visited Somerset, Massachusetts.
The president has managed to avoid contracting COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, although several members of his administration and top lawmakers were diagnosed, some after being around the president.
Harris tested positive for COVID-19 in April. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi contracted the virus earlier that month after attending two White House events, sharing the stage with Mr. Biden at one. Other members of the president’s cabinet, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (who tested positive twice), and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have also had COVID-19.
The president received well-wishes from Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as fellow world leaders, following the release of his diagnosis.
“So sorry to hear that President Biden has tested positive for COVID-19,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted. “We wish him a speedy recovery.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Mr. Biden their best wishes and hope for a speedy recovery.
Driven by the BA.5 subvariant, the number of new cases of COVID-19 is slowly starting to rise and infections are increasing in numerous states. Hospitalizations for the coronavirus among Americans 70 and older also hit their worst levels since February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Washington, DC, the community level of COVID-19 is “medium,” according to the agency, and the White House has continued to require Americans to wear masks in indoor public spaces.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told “Face the Nation” Sunday that the BA.5 strain has the ability to evade immunity acquired through vaccination and previous infection , and expected cases are being underreported.
“I think most Americans have come to accept this as part of the fabric of daily life,” he said.
Nancy Cordes, Alex Tin and Jack Turman contributed to this report.
Trend news