Runny nose, dry cough: Biden feels only mild corona symptoms

Runny nose, dry cough
Biden feels only mild corona symptoms

07/22/2022, 06:05 am

Joe Biden managed to avoid the coronavirus for more than two years, but now he is infected. The US president is optimistic, and perhaps with good reason. The 79-year-old is being treated with Paxlovid, a drug that the German health minister wants to use more aggressively in this country.

US President Joe Biden will temporarily work from home. The 79-year-old tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday and is now in isolation, the White House said. However, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre assured that he will be able to fully fulfill his duties from the seat of government. In a video statement Thursday afternoon (local time), Biden remained optimistic: “I’m fine, I’m working a lot and I’ll continue to do so.”

The 79-year-old tested positive on Thursday morning. The White House said he initially had “very mild symptoms” and had started taking the Covid-19 drug Paxlovit. He preferred to participate in scheduled meetings by phone and video link from his residence in the White House. His doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said Biden’s symptoms included a runny nose, fatigue and an occasional dry cough.

Biden did it for more than two years without being affected by infections. According to the White House, the Democrat has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and received two booster shots. However, in the past few months, there have been numerous cases of corona infections in his government and those around him – including those who have been vaccinated.

Lauterbach relies on Paxlovid

Biden is one of the risk groups due to aging. If the president is unable to perform his duties at any time or dies due to an infection, Vice President Kamala Harris will step in. According to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who is currently in the US, the US President should survive his infection well. “He’s been vaccinated four times and he’s getting the right medication right away. So we can assume he’ll recover without any problems,” said the SPD politician in Washington. The President of the United States took all the measures as a “precedent”.

Lauterbach expressed hope that in Germany in the future, boxlovit will be used more for the corona virus. “The rapid delivery of the drug Boxlovit to victims works well here,” Lauterbach said of the drug’s use in the United States. “It’s something we need to get right because it will save a lot of lives.”

White House coronavirus coordinator Ashish Jha told a press conference that it is not yet known which virus variant Biden has. Biden’s corona test has now been sent to a lab for processing. Biden was vaccinated and started taking paxlovide which greatly reduced the risk of severe disease. For transparency reasons, the White House reports daily on the president’s health.

In the past few months, there have been many cases of corona among prominent politicians in the US capital, Washington. After an event in early April, more than 60 participants tested positive for the virus, US media reported at the time, citing organizers. Among them were Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, several members of Congress and several White House staffers.