According to the White House, US President Joe Biden tested positive for covid-19 on Thursday and is experiencing “very mild symptoms.”
According to his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden, 79, will continue to serve as vice president while taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid.
In a statement, she said he had been vaccinated and twice boosted and was experiencing very mild symptoms.
“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,” she said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She said Biden “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.”.
“Out of an abundance of transparency, the White House will provide a daily update on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation,” it said.
Biden 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’s last previous test for COVID was on Tuesday when he had a negative test result.
Biden is the second sitting US president to get Covid-19 after his predecessor Donald Trump had to be hospitalised with an infection in 2020. Former President Barack Obama also tested positive for Covid-19 in March.
Covid cases along with hospitalisations have been increasing across the US driven by the highly-transmissible BA.5 variant, which recently became the dominant strain in the country.