President Biden tests positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms : NPR

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Biden has examined constructive for COVID-19. The White Home mentioned in an announcement this morning that he’s experiencing gentle signs. NPR’s White Home correspondent Tamara Keith joins us now. Tam, what else are you able to inform us concerning the president’s situation at this second?

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Effectively, we simply received a letter from his physician, Kevin O’Connor. He mentioned that they examined the president this morning as a part of a routine screening. He was constructive on a speedy take a look at, in order that they confirmed it with a extra delicate PCR take a look at. His signs embody a runny nostril, fatigue, and he had an occasional dry cough that began up final evening. He has already began therapy with Paxlovid. That is the drug cocktail that dramatically reduces the probabilities of extreme outcomes from COVID and lessens signs, lessens usually the size of the illness. He is absolutely vaccinated, has two boosters, and he is additionally 79 years outdated, the oldest president in American historical past. In order that does put him within the high-risk class. That’s the reason he instantly certified to begin a course of Paxlovid. And we must always simply say that this comes at a time once I’m positive you and I do know people who find themselves constructive with COVID. It’s – the U.S. is in one other wave – in truth, the world is in one other wave with the BA.5 variant of omicron.

MARTIN: Very, very transmissible, though it would not result in as excessive a charge as hospitalizations or extreme illness. So the president, Tam, was simply assembly and greeting an entire lot of individuals on this overseas journey he was on, proper? I imply, do we have now any sense if that is the place he contracted it?

KEITH: The timing would point out that appears form of seemingly. However, you already know, you by no means know precisely the place somebody received COVID. We’ll say, sure, that he was in Israel and Saudi Arabia. He was on these lengthy flights. The White Home had mentioned he was not going to shake fingers to keep away from COVID threat whereas over there. However he did shake fingers. He clearly gave a fist bump to the Saudi chief, and he received near lots of people, and he was typically not carrying a masks. Then he got here again right here to the U.S. and he was largely out of sight for 3 days, which is fairly uncommon. The White Home insisted nothing was amiss, after which they introduced that he had examined adverse for COVID on Tuesday, however, you already know – and so he traveled yesterday, in truth.

MARTIN: Proper. Former President Trump received COVID – proper? – within the fall of 2020, form of early on within the pandemic. Are you able to remind us how that was dealt with?

KEITH: Yeah. In order that they introduced it – he introduced it in a tweet at 1 a.m. He had been touring, attended a debate and he received actually, actually sick. And I simply need to say that it is a huge deal when the president of the USA will get COVID any time, however now could be a distinct time. There are vaccines, and there are therapies like Paxlovid that merely weren’t accessible when Trump received it. He ended up at Walter Reed Army Medical Heart being handled, together with with oxygen.

MARTIN: OK. Once more, the information President Biden has examined constructive for COVID-19. The White Home says his signs are gentle. NPR White Home correspondent Tamara Keith, thanks.

KEITH: You are welcome.

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