2024-07-19 02:56:06
US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling to Las Vegas on Wednesday and is experiencing “mild symptoms” of the infection, the White House said.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will fly home to Delaware, where he will “self-isolate and continue to fully perform all of his duties during that time.” The news was first reported by UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía, who told guests at the group’s convention in Las Vegas that the president regretted not being able to appear because he had tested positive for the virus.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, said in a statement that Biden “presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and nonproductive cough, with general malaise.” Following the positive COVID-19 test, Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has taken his first dose, O’Connor said.
The president’s diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and endurance following a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump that sparked a wave of concern among Democrats that Biden is not up to the rigors of winning another presidential term.
Biden cautiously boarded Air Force One and told reporters traveling with him: “I feel fine.” The president was not wearing a mask as he boarded Air Force One.
Source: Infobae.
2024-07-19 02:56:06