President Biden has COVID!

Harrison Kass reports,

President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19. He is currently experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said.

“This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid. Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

The White House’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, reported that as of Thursday morning, Biden did not have a fever – although he was experiencing fatigue, a runny nose, and a dry cough. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the physician to the president, said that Biden’s symptoms began on Wednesday evening. “The president went to bed feeling fine but didn’t sleep well and subsequently tested positive in the morning,” ABC News reported.

Before this morning, Biden had never tested positive for COVID. The President was fully vaccinated, with two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, before his inauguration in January 2021. He then received his first booster shot in September – and a second booster shot on March 30, 2022.

Biden is not the only member of his administration dealing with COVID. “A wave of cases among Cabinet members, White House staffers and members of Congress has swept Washington in recent months,” CNN reported.

…Biden has been prescribed Paxlovid, an antiviral pill that Pfizer developed. The Food and Drug Administration approved Paxlovid last December for use in patients aged 12 and up. Patients prescribed Paxlovid take three pills twice daily for five days. Paxlovid’s pill form was celebrated as it was the first COVID treatment that could be administered without an infusion.

“Paxlovid is made up of two medications: ritonavir, commonly used to treat HIV and AIDS, and nirmatrelvir, an antiviral that Pfizer developed to boost the strength of the first drug. Together, they prevent an enzyme the virus uses to make copies of itself inside human cells and spread throughout the body,” ABC reported.

Aside from Biden’s personal infection, COVID is still a relevant policy issue – with the administration still treating COVID like a public health emergency. Currently, the administration is seeking “new funding from Congress for treatments and vaccines,” CNN reported. “The public health emergency declaration allows many Americans to obtain free Covid-19 testing, therapeutic treatment and vaccines.”

Read more here: https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/07/president-biden-has-covid-19-we-should-not-be-surprised/