US PRESIDENT JOE Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, the White House has said.
The 79-year-old is experiencing very mild symptoms, according to a statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The White House will provide a daily update on his status “out of an abundance of transparency”, the statement said. He will continue to carry out the full duties of his office while in isolation.
Biden had been due to travel to Pennsylvania during the day, the latest in a series of trips around the country as he seeks to revive waning Democrat fortunes ahead of midterm elections.
“He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence.
“Consistent with White House protocol for positive COVID cases, which goes above and beyond CDC guidance, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative. Once he tests negative, he will return to in-person work.”
Biden is reported to be in good general health, but his age will heighten concern over the impact of Covid.
“Per standard protocol for any positive case at the White House, the White House Medical Unit will inform all close contacts of the President during the day today, including any Members of Congress and any members of the press who interacted with the President during yesterday’s travel. The President’s last previous test for COVID was Tuesday, when he had a negative test result.”
Biden has had two booster shots of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, contracted Covid earlier this year.
PELOSI says she learned of President Biden's covid case on the way to her presser. "I understand that the symptoms are light. I hope they continue to be so. That was my experience. And I hope that that's the case for the president."
— Kyle Stewart (@KyleAlexStewart) July 21, 2022
Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus in October, 2020 — in the middle of their bitterly fought election race.
The news that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had both contracted the virus was a shocking development at a time when the pandemic was still unfolding across the globe.
Trump, who was 74 at the time, was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he spent the weekend and received various treatments. He returned to the White House three days later.
Biden is in a tough phrase of his presidency, facing November midterm elections that are forecast to be painful for his Democratic Party, and declining personal approval ratings.
According to a study conducted by Quinnipiac University in the state of Connecticut and released Wednesday, Biden’s approval ratings have hit a new low, with only 31 percent of Americans satisfied with the way he is running the country.
With reporting from AFP
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