He has “very mild symptoms”. In accordance with CDC guidelines, Biden will isolate himself in the White House. During this time he will continue to “fulfil all his duties”.
He will take part in the meetings planned for Thursday from his residence by telephone and video conference. Biden visited the state of Massachusetts on Wednesday. Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday that all close contacts of the president would be informed, including delegation members on the trip. Biden was last tested negative for the corona virus on Tuesday. Biden will work in isolation until he tests negative again. For reasons of transparency, the White House will report daily on the President’s health.
Fully vaccinated
According to the White House, the US Democrat is fully vaccinated against the virus and has received two booster shots. Most recently, however, there had been a plethora of corona infections in his government and those around him – also among those who had been vaccinated.
In the past few months there have been numerous corona cases in the political celebrities of the US capital Washington. After an evening event in early April, more than 60 participants tested positive for the virus, as US media reported at the time, citing the organizers. Among them were Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, several members of Congress, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ communications director and other White House officials.
Not the first case in the Oval Office
Should Biden be unable to perform his official duties at any time due to the infection, Kamala Harris would have to step in. Biden is not the first corona case in the Oval Office: in 2020, then-incumbent Donald Trump contracted the virus – less than five weeks before the presidential election, from which Biden emerged as the winner. Trump became infected at a time when vaccines were not yet available. At the time, he had to be hospitalized for a while.
Other world leaders have also been hit, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Johnson had to be treated in an intensive care unit at times.
Source: Nachrichten
