President Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, White House says

US president experiencing ‘very mild symptoms’

President Joe Biden said he was “doing well” in a video statement released after it was announced he had tested positive for Covid-19.

In short video statement from the White House, the president said his symptoms were mild and he was continuing to work.

He said: “Hey folks, I guess you heard, this morning I tested positive for Covid. But I’ve been double vaccinated, double boosted, syptoms are mild.

“And I really appreciate your inquiries and concerns. But I’m doing well, getting a lot of work done, going to continue to get it done. And in the meantime, thanks for your concern, and keep the faith. It’s going to be OK.”

In a statement earlier, White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said Mr Biden, who is screened for Covid-19 on a regular basis, tested positive on Thursday morning. She added that the president, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two booster shots, has “very mild symptoms” that are being treated with the anti-viral medication Paxlovid.

Ms Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden would follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines by isolating at the White House while carrying 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,” she said. “Consistent with White House protocol for positive Covid cases, which goes above and beyond CDC guidance, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative”.

Ms Jean-Pierre said the White House would provide daily updates on Mr Biden’s condition “out of an abundance of transparency”, though she stressed that the is continuing to “carry out the full duties of the office” despite being in isolation.

During a briefing at the White House, Ms Jean-Pierre said she wasn’t sure where Mr Biden contracted Covid, adding “I don’t think that matters”.

Speaking to reporters in Detroit, Michigan, first lady Jill Biden said she spoke to her husband shortly after his positive test became publicly known.

“He’s doing fine,” she said. “He’s feeling good.”

Since Mr Biden took office in January 2021, the possibility that he would contract Covid-19 has been of great concern to his advisers, who until recently have taken great pains to limit his contact with large crowds.

At 79, Mr Biden is the oldest person to be sworn in for a first term as president and is at high risk for severe complications from the virus. But White House officials have said Mr Biden is well-protected by the vaccine and booster doses he has recieved since shortly before he took office.

Mr Biden’s positive test comes amid a resurgence in Covid-19 cases due to new variants and sub-variants of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, which doctors say are far more contagious than previous iterations and more easily evade the immunity conferred on him by his vaccines and boosters.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, reacted to Mr Biden’s positive test by telling reporters: “I'm hoping he gets well soon and doesn’t have any difficulty getting past it.”

House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, told reporters at her weekly press conference that she understands Mr Biden’s symptoms to be “light”.

“I hope they continue to be so. That was my experience,” she said.

In a memorandum distributed by Ms Jean-Pierre’s office, physician to the president Dr Kevin O’Connor said Mr Biden has been “experiencing mild symptoms, mostly rhinorrhea (or runny nose) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough” since Wednesday evening.

Dr O’Connor said he anticipates that the “fully vaccinated and twice-boosted” president “will respond favourably” to the Paxlovid anti-viral treatment, “as most maximally protected patients do” and said the early use of the anti-viral medication provides “additional protection against severe disease”.