(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, the White House said, forcing him to cancel a speaking appearance in Las Vegas.
Biden has “mild symptoms” and plans to return to Delaware “where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The president, who wasn’t wearing a mask, flashed a thumbs-up to reporters and said he felt “good” before boarding Air Force One minutes after his diagnosis was announced. He walked slowly up the stairs while boarding the presidential aircraft.
Biden’s illness was first announced by UnidosUS President Janet Murguia, who told attendees at the Latino group’s convention that Biden spoke with her on the phone and “shared his deep disappointment” at not being able to speak.
The president’s symptoms include a runny nose, cough, and “general malaise,” according to a note from the White House attributed to Biden’s physician. He was prescribed and took his first dose of Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid antiviral medication. He had a normal temperature, respiratory rate and pulse oximetry.
The president for weeks has blamed a cold and jet lag for his poor performance in the debate against Donald Trump. Biden, 81, reaffirmed his decision to remain in the race in a Tuesday interview with BET News, but allowed that significant health issues could cause him to reconsider.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden said.
Biden was scheduled to speak to Unidos and then attend a campaign event on Wednesday, part of a trip designed to appeal to Hispanic and Black voters at a time when he is facing persistent calls from fellow Democrats to end his campaign.
The president on Tuesday rolled out a new rent cap proposal in a speech to the NAACP and then earlier Wednesday he sat for an interview with the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision.
Instead of finishing his trip, Biden was forced to head to the airport to fly to Delaware, where he had already planned to spend a long weekend at his beach home.
Biden also contracted Covid in July 2022 and then tested positive again with a rebound case weeks later.
National figures show a small Covid surge underway, but it’s not proving to be more dangerous.
Weekly Covid hospitalization rates have crept up higher to around 2 cases per 100,000 people at the end of June, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s still far below the winter peak of 7.7 per 100,000 people at the end of December 2023.
--With assistance from Mark Niquette and Riley Griffin.
(Updates with Murguia comments, more details starting in fourth paragraph)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.