Biden tests positive for Covid-19

WASHINGTON • Mr Joe Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, has tested positive for Covid-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue working but do so in isolation, the White House said yesterday.

Mr Biden, 79, has a runny nose, fatigue and an occasional dry cough, which he began to experience late on Wednesday, White House physician Kevin O'Connor said in a note made public yesterday, adding that Mr Biden has begun taking the antiviral treatment Paxlovid.

"He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"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 Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House will provide a daily update on the President's health, Ms Jean-Pierre added.

The President later tweeted that he was "doing great" and keeping busy after testing positive for the virus.

Multiple members of the Biden administration and other senior figures in Washington have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent months, including Vice-President Kamala Harris, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Attorney-General Merrick Garland. All have since tested negative and resumed working.

While many Americans have moved on from the strict precautions of the pandemic's early months, returning to offices and schools and resuming summer travel, the virus continues to spread.

Cases in the US are up more than 25 per cent in the last month, according to CDC data, as the rapidly spreading BA.5 sub-variant has taken hold.

REUTERS