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Joe Biden Finally Contracted COVID-19 & The White House is Using His Case to Promote Vaccines

2022-07-22 , 12:14 pm

The wait for the blue moon is over. President Joe Biden has finally tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

Aged 79 and nose deep into partisanal politics, Joe Biden’s greatest enemy in his presidential term might very well be his own health and safety.

The president tested positive in a rapid antigen test Thursday morning before the result was confirmed by a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.

Crafting Posts to Show Strength

To show he remains at the country’s helm, Biden tweeted a few posts such as a picture of himself working at his desk saying, “I am doing great”. Additionally, in a video posted on Twitter, Biden announced that he is “doing well” and that his symptoms continue to be mild.

“I guess you heard, this morning I tested positive for COVID. But I’ve been double vaccinated, double boosted. Symptoms are mild and 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 concern and keep the faith. It’s gonna be okay,” Biden said in a 20-second video, unmasked while standing outside the Truman Balcony.

The tweet was accompanied by an image of the president smiling at a desk, unmasked, in the residence of the White House.

While some may be comforted by his smile which is sweet as honey and his carefully tailored words, others may still be hesitant to believe that the oldest US president ever elected remains as strong as an ox.

Yet, our dear Biden die-hard fans and those in vigil praying for Biden’s speedy recovery need not panic as Biden does appear to be in good general health.

Official Release on Biden’s Health Conditions

According to an official note released by Biden’s personal physician Kevin O’ Connor, the US president was only experiencing mild symptoms of fatigue, a runny nose, and an occasional dry cough. Biden did not have a fever on Thursday morning, as white House coronavirus coordinator Dr Ashish Jha told CNN.

A physical examination in November last year also found Biden “fit for duty”, suggesting that he should have a relatively strong immune system that is fit to counter a mild case of COVID-19.

Promoting Vaccines

Always at the forefront to milk a situation for its best, the White House saw the silver lining to the dark clouds and used President Biden’s COVID-19 case to promote vaccines.

While Biden is admittedly at an increased risk for a more severe case of COVID-19, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says older adults who are fully vaccinated and boosted have significantly lower risks of hospitalization and death.

According to Jha, Biden has the “full set of protections” to deal with COVID-19 as his advanced age.

Biden received his first two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ahead of his inauguration in January 2021, his first booster shot in September 2021 and his second booster vaccination on March this year.

“The bottom line is given how much immunity he has from vaccines, given that he was started on treatments right away … I think all of those things very dramatically reduce his risk of serious illness…And that’s really the goal here, is to prevent serious illness, to keep that risk as low as possible. I think he’s gotten that full set of protections,” Jha said during the White house press briefing.

What’s Happening Now?

Bide has begun taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid, which is available via emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in people 12 and older who are at high risk of severe illness.

It requires a doctor’s prescription.

Additionally, Biden will isolate at the White House until at least next Tuesday according to CDC’s guidelines. He will continue to “carry out all of his duties fully during that time”, as Ms Jean Pierre announced.