United States President, Joe Biden, has tested positive for COVID-19.
White House physician, Kevin O’Connor, in a statement issued on Thursday, said: “President Biden is currently experiencing very mild symptoms, mostly rhinorrhea (or “running nose”) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough, which started yesterday evening.
“Given that he meets U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) criteria for PAXLOVID, I have recommended initiating such treatment.
“The President is fully vaccinated and twice-boosted, so I anticipate that he will respond favorable, as most maximally protected patients do.
“Early use of PAXLOVID, in this case, provides additional protection against severe disease. He will isolate in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations,” O’Connor stated.
A statement issued by the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, added that President Biden “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.”
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Jean-Pierre noted that the President has begun taking Paxlovid, an antiviral therapy that has proven effective in mitigating coronavirus symptoms.
Biden is reported to be in good health, but his age would heighten concern over the impact of COVID-19.
Politically, the 79-year-old President is in a tough phrase of his presidency, facing November midterm elections that are forecast to be painful for his Democratic Party, and declining personal approval ratings.
According to a study conducted by Quinnipiac University in the state of Connecticut and released on Wednesday, Biden’s approval ratings have hit a new low, with only 31 percent of Americans satisfied with the way he is running the country.
Biden had planned to spend more time on the ground in the United States in the coming weeks after a period of intense overseas travel, including a NATO summit in Spain and a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia.
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