Recovered from Covid-19, Biden touts vaccination
Washington, Jul 27 (EFE).- United States President Joe Biden appeared in public Wednesday after days in isolation with what he and his doctor described as a mild case of Covid-19 and he took the opportunity to advocate for vaccines and boosters amid a rise in infections due to the BA.5 variant of the virus.
“My symptoms were mild, my recovery was quick, and I’m feeling great,” the president told White House staff gathered in the Rose Garden.
Biden, whose first positive Covid-19 test was last Thursday, tested negative twice before re-emerging from the first family’s private quarters in the executive mansion.
“The entire time I was in isolation, I was able to work to carry out the duties of the office and without any interruption. It’s a real statement on where we are in the fight against Covid-19,” the president said.
He went on to tout the progress made against the pandemic since he took office in January 2021, pointing to the availability of vaccines and boosters, free Covid-19 tests via mail and the development of treatments such as Paxlovid, an oral antiviral drug.
The 79-year-old president took Paxlovid during his illness.
Biden contrasted his bout with coronavirus to predecessor Donald Trump’s experience when he became infected in September 2020, before vaccines were ready.
“Here’s the bottom line: When my predecessor got Covid, he had to be helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center. He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got Covid, I worked from upstairs at the White House for a five-day period. The difference is vaccinations, of course,” the president said.
He revealed that he was infected with BA.5, which, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is responsible for 82 percent of new Covid-19 cases in the country that leads the world in coronavirus deaths with 1.02 million.
Just over 67 percent of people in the US are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while fewer than half have gotten a booster. EFE bpm/dr
