US President Joe Biden waves while walking on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Thursday morning.“This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “He has begun taking Paxlovid. Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. 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.”
Biden, who’s 79, is the second president to get COVID, following then-President Donald Trump’s relatively serious case shortly before the 2020 election. There have been almost 90 million documented COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and more than 1 million deaths. That’s almost certainly an undercount, however: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that nearly 60 percent of Americans have had the virus. COVID-19 treatments have vastly improved in recent months, lessening the risk of the disease—but older people are at higher risk of serious infection.Vice President Kamala Harris had a mild COVID-19 case in April, and at least eight members of Biden’s Cabinet have had the virus as well.COVID-19 cases have once again been on the rise in recent weeks across the U.S., with the new highly infectious B.A.5 strain driving an uptick.The White House promised daily updates on Biden’s health status as he battles the virus.Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.
Biden, who’s 79, is the second president to get COVID, following then-President Donald Trump’s relatively serious case shortly before the 2020 election. There have been almost 90 million documented COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and more than 1 million deaths. That’s almost certainly an undercount, however: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that nearly 60 percent of Americans have had the virus. COVID-19 treatments have vastly improved in recent months, lessening the risk of the disease—but older people are at higher risk of serious infection.Vice President Kamala Harris had a mild COVID-19 case in April, and at least eight members of Biden’s Cabinet have had the virus as well.COVID-19 cases have once again been on the rise in recent weeks across the U.S., with the new highly infectious B.A.5 strain driving an uptick.The White House promised daily updates on Biden’s health status as he battles the virus.Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.