President Biden Has Covid: Isolating With ‘Mild Symptoms,’ Taking Paxlovid
President Joe Biden's positive test comes amid another summer surge of the virus. Also, studies look at vaccines and the risk for long covid.
AP:
President Joe Biden Tests Positive For COVID-19 While Campaigning In Las Vegas, Has ‘Mild Symptoms’
President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said 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 had first been shared by UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía, who told guests at the group’s convention in Las Vegas that president had sent his regrets and could not appear because he tested positive for the virus. (Madhani, 7/18)
The Hill:
Biden Jokingly Alludes To COVID Diagnosis In Fundraising Pitch Targeting Musk Donations
“I’m sick,” the president said in a post on the social platform X Wednesday after the White House said Wednesday evening that the president had tested positive for COVID-19. “Of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election,” Biden said in a reply to his post after a two-minute delay, alongside a link to a fundraising webpage. “And if you agree, pitch in here.” (Suter, 7/17)
The Washington Post:
Biden Just Got Covid. What Are The Latest Covid Guidelines?
President Biden tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, placing a renewed spotlight on covid-19 and the precautions the broader public can take as a summer wave of the disease sweeps over much of the United States. ... When sick with symptoms of a respiratory virus, such as the coronavirus, the CDC advises individuals to stay home and isolate until both their overall symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. (Ables and Nirappil, 7/18)
Also —
Stat:
Vaccine Slashes Chance Of Long Covid, Says Study, But Risk Remains
Vaccination lowers the chance of developing long Covid, according to a large new study that also found that the risk of serious complications has diminished but not disappeared as new coronavirus variants emerged. (Cooney, 7/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Long Covid Risks Have Declined Since Early Pandemic, Study Finds
A summer Covid wave is hitting the country, but there’s one consolation: Your chances of developing long Covid have fallen since the start of the pandemic. That’s the finding from a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. It concluded that about 10% of people infected with the virus’s original strain developed long Covid. By contrast, the risk of developing long Covid dropped to 3.5% with the virus’s Omicron variant among vaccinated people. For the unvaccinated, the risk was 7.7.%. (Reddy, 7/17)
The New York Times:
Long Covid And Vaccination: What You Need To Know
A summer wave of Covid is surging in many parts of the nation. Infections, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are all on the upswing. Recognizing that Covid is now a permanent respiratory threat, as are influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, federal officials have recommended that everyone 6 months and older receive the newest vaccine this fall. (Mandavilli, 7/17)
