U. S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and isolated, Physician to the President, Kevin O’Connor has said.
On questioning, President Biden said he is currently experiencing mild symptoms, mostly rhinorrhea (or “runny nose”) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough, which he said started yesterday evening.
O’Connor said Biden would be administered PAXLOVID treatment given that he meets U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) criteria for such treatment.
The President’s physician in a statement explained that early use of PAXLOVID, in this case, provides additional protection against severe disease.
The statement reads: “This morning, as part of our routine screening program for the President, the SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected by antigen testing. This result was subsequently confirmed via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.
“On questioning, President Biden is currently experiencing mild symptoms, mostly rhinorrhea (or “runny nose”) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough, which started yesterday evening.
“Given that he meets U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) criteria for PAXLOVID, I have recommended initiating such treatment.
“The President is fully vaccinated and twice-boosted, so I anticipate that he will respond favourably, as most maximally protected patients do. Early use of PAXLOVID in this case provides additional protection against severe disease.
“He will isolate in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. I will keep your office updated with any changes in his condition or treatment plan”.