By Brianna Lyman
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Thursday that President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19.
“This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement reads. “He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid.”
Jean-Pierre said Biden would isolate at the White House and continue to work.
Biden will work in quarantine until he tests negative.
BREAKING: President Biden (@POTUS) tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid. @NBC12 pic.twitter.com/LBAuP95SNP
— Henry Graff (@HenryGraff) July 21, 2022
“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.”
Biden last tested negative for COVID-19 on July 12th, according to the White House. (RELATED: White House Posts Blatant Disinformation About Biden And COVID-19)
A letter dated July 21 from Biden’s doctor, Kevin C. O’Connor, said the president is “currently experiencing mild symptoms” such as a runny nose, fatigue, and the “occasional dry mouth, which started yesterday evening.”
O’Connor said given Biden’s vaccination status, he anticipated Biden “will respond favorably, as most maximally protected patients do.”
The president received his second booster shot in March, telling Americans if they hadn’t received their first booster, “please don’t wait,” according to Politico. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were authorized for a second booster just one day prior, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing the same day that adults over the age of 50 should get another shot of the vaccine, according to Politico.
Biden was first vaccinated in December of 2020, receiving his second shot in January of 2021. He was then boosted in September of 2021 with Pfizer, according to the report.
Biden’s diagnosis comes after the White House worked diligently to keep Biden COVID-free.
During a January meeting with governors at the White House, Biden was seated more than 10 feet from everyone, including members of his cabinet, The Associated Press reported. Biden was also the only one given a glass of water. A staffer was immediately given an N95 mask to replace their surgical mask after entering the room, the AP reported, noting “these are just some of the extraordinary efforts on the part of the White House to keep the president from getting COVID-19.”
The White House has also been “terrified of Joe Biden getting COVID,” Politico reported that same month.
“Some current and former White House officials foresee a potential political and policy disaster if the president were to contract the virus, even though he is vaccinated and boosted,” Politico reported. “Covid protocol critics and vaccine skeptics would have a field day with Biden catching Covid and use it to further undermine trust in the administration’s efforts to combat the pandemic.”
