Joe Biden, 79, shares smiling photo from his desk as he fights Covid the day after revealing cancer diagnosis
PRESIDENT Joe Biden has shared a photo of himself smiling from his desk after testing positive for Covid-19.
Biden's symptoms include fatigue, a dry cough and a runny nose, according to his doctor, who spoke after the White House announced the president's positive diagnosis on Thursday.
"Folks, I'm doing great. Thanks for your concern. Just called Senator Casey, Congressman Cartwright, and Mayor Cognetti (and my Scranton cousins!) to send my regrets for missing our event today," Biden said.
He signed off by saying, "Keeping busy!"
Biden, who at 79 is the oldest person to ever serve as president, is fully vaccinated and is twice boosted.
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In a follow-up video, Biden thanked his supporters for their concerns and expressed his gratitude.
"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 corners. And keep the faith. It's going to be okay," he said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre revealed the president has begun taking Paxlovid to fight off the virus.
" He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid,” Jean-Pierre said.
"He will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry 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."
Meanwhile, First Lady revealed she tested negative and will keep her schedule following CDC guidelines.
"I talked to him [Biden] just a few minutes ago, he's doing fine. He's doing good," Jill told reporters.
BIDEN'S HEALTH SHOCK
's positive diagnosis comes a day after traveling to Massachusetts and to discuss a "climate emergency," leaving viewers puzzled by revealing a cancer diagnosis.
The president was describing the health effects of emissions from oil refineries near his childhood home in Claymont, Delaware, saying the plant had a bad "legacy" of "toxins, smog and greenhouse emissions."
As he continued to speak on how the refineries contributed to the "climate emergency" in the area, Biden appeared to say he has cancer.
“That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer and why for the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation,” Biden said.
It's unclear whether this was an admission of his health status or the latest verbal flub from the president.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The US Sun.
FULLY VAXXED AND BOOSTED
The 79-year-old president received his first two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December 2020 and January 2021.
He received two Pfizer booster shots in September 2021 and March 2022.
The president returned from a trip to the Middle East early this week that included meetings with world leaders in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Biden's positive test result comes several months after VP Harris tested positive for the virus in late April.
The more-contagious BA.5 omicron variant has continued to circulate in the area and across the nation, making up nearly 80 percent of cases.
According to the latest Nowcast released by the CDC on Tuesday, the BA.5 omicron subvariant is now estimated to be responsible for 77.9 percent of Covid cases in the US.
Another omicron subvariant, BA.4, currently makes up 12.8 percent of cases.
The first case of the BA.5 subvariant came in late April and has quickly become the dominant strain of the virus by early July.
Dozens of Congressmembers have contacted the virus in recent months, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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According to the CDC, there are about 90million positive cases nationwide, with a daily average of over 126,000.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the US has recorded about 6.4million deaths.