President Biden Tests Positive for COVID and Has ‘Mild Symptoms,’ Cancels Las Vegas Campaign Event
President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Wednesday.
Biden canceled a campaign appearance at the convention for UnidosUS, a national civil rights organization for Latinos, in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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“Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”
Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, added that the president was administered a dose of Paxlovid and will self-isolate at home.
“The President presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise,” O’Connor said.” He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus. Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth.”
Amid calls for him to step down from the election, Biden has reaffirmed that he will stay in the race and face off against former President Donald Trump. However, in an interview with BET News released Wednesday morning, Biden said that he would only considering stepping aside if a “medical condition emerged” and doctors urged him to reconsider.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden told journalist Eric Gordon. “I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I’d be able to move on from this, pass it on to someone else. But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. Quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings [is] a little bit of wisdom, and I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country.”
Biden previously tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022.
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