US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 as new variants of the highly contagious coronavirus challenge the nation’s efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruption.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden was experiencing “mild symptoms” and had started taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug designed to reduce the severity of the illness.
“He will be isolated in the White House and will continue to perform all his duties fully during this time,” he said.
President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media after exiting Air Force One, Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is returning from a trip to Somerset, Massachusetts, where he spoke about climate change. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)
He said he had been in contact with White House staff members by phone this morning and would join the planned meeting by phone and Zoom.
Biden, 79, is fully vaccinated, having received two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office, a first booster injection in September and an additional dose on March 30.
The White House released a letter from Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, which said the president had a runny nose and “fatigue, with an occasional dry cough, which began last evening.”
“I anticipate that he will respond favorably” to Paxlovid “as most patients with maximum protection do,” O’Connor wrote in his letter about the president’s treatment plan.
Jean-Pierre said Biden last tested negative on Tuesday and will remain in isolation until he tests negative again. Biden had planned to visit Pennsylvania on Thursday to talk about his crime prevention plans and attend a Democratic fundraiser, then spend a long weekend in Delaware. Their appearances and trips are cancelled.
First lady Jill Biden spoke to reporters Thursday when she arrived at a Detroit school and told them she had just gotten off the phone with her husband.
“It’s okay,” he said. “He’s fine.”
President Joe Biden walks the South Lawn of the White House after exiting Marine One on Wednesday.. (AP)
The first lady, who was wearing a mask, said she tested negative earlier in the day. He will maintain his full schedule in Michigan and Georgia on Thursday, although he will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s instructions on masking and distancing, said Michael LaRosa, his spokesman.
The president spent much of last week in Israel and Saudi Arabia. White House officials told reporters that Biden planned to minimize contact during the trip, but as soon as he stepped off Air Force One on Wednesday, July 13, the president pumped his fists, shook hands and was even seen in an occasional hug.
Up to this point, Biden’s ability to prevent the virus seemed to defy the odds, even with the test procedures in place for those expected to be in close contact with him.
The subvariants and mutations of COVID-19
Previous waves of the virus ravaged Washington’s political class, infecting Vice President Kamala Harris, cabinet members, White House staff and lawmakers.
Biden has increasingly increased its travel schedule and has resumed holding large indoor events where not everyone is put to the test.