US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling in Las Vegas on Wednesday and is experiencing “mild symptoms” from the infection, according to the White House.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that Biden will fly to his home in Delaware, where he will “self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”
The news was initially shared by Unidos US President and CEO Janet Murguía, who informed guests at the group’s convention in Las Vegas that Biden had sent his regrets and could not appear due to the positive test.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, noted that Biden “presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and a non-productive cough, along with general malaise.” Following the positive test, Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has already taken his first dose.
Biden was scheduled to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to rally Hispanic voters ahead of the November election. Prior to the diagnosis, he had been at the Original Lindo Michoacan restaurant in Las Vegas, greeting diners and preparing for an interview with Univision.
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