President Joe Biden has announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19.
The 81-year-old suffered a setback in his re-election campaign after he tested positive for the virus this week.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, revealed the news, sharing: “Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for Covid-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms," per The Telegraph.
“He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time," she continued. "The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”
The 46th president's doctor, Kevin O’Connor, also provided a statement, explaining that he had reported a runny nose and “non productive cough” with “general malaise”.
O’Connor added: “He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for Covid-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the Covid-19 virus.”
Due to his health status, Biden had to cancel a speech at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday (July 17) evening.
He was seen not donning a face mask and moving slowly and cautiously up the steps to Air Force One on that same day. As he boarded the plane, he was heard telling reporters: "Good, I feel good."
The news comes just hours after an excerpt from a recorded interview emerged in which the US leader told Ed Gordon of BET News that he would only drop out of the presidential race against Donald Trump if he was told to do so because of a medical condition.
"If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, 'you got this problem and that problem'," he said, per The Independent.
The Covid-19 announcement is the latest setback for the Biden campaign, which has faced weeks of questions about his age and health, after his performance in the debate last month.
According to BBC, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are both reported to have met Biden individually to express concerns.
During their separate private meetings, Schumer and Jeffries allegedly said that his presence could diminish the democrats' chances in November.
After the reports, White House spokesman Andrew Bates clarified: “The president told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families," per the outlet.
The White House has stated that the leader remains in good health at 81, although he suffers from sleep apnea and a back condition that makes his movements rigid.
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