Joe Biden tests Covid-19 positive amid US Presidential election campaign: ‘I am sick’

US President Joe Biden tested COVID-19 positive with mild symptoms, including “general malaise”, while travelling to Las Vegas for the presidential election campaign, the White House said.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will now fly to his home in Delaware for “self-isolation” and will continue to carry out his duties during that time period. “I am sick”, the US President wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía shared the news with guests in Las Vegas, saying the president had sent his regrets and could not appear because he tested positive for the virus, AP reported.

“Biden, 81, presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise. After the positive COVID-19 test, Biden was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and has taken his first dose,” said Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician.

His diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and stamina following a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump. This debate has sparked significant concern among Democrats about Biden's capability to handle the demands of winning another presidential term.

Biden has been vaccinated and has received his recommended annual COVID-19 booster. These vaccines have been highly effective in reducing severe illness and death from the virus, which has claimed over one million lives in the US since the pandemic began in 2020.

Paxlovid has been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness and death when administered early in the infection but has been linked to rebound infections, where the virus returns a few days after initially subsiding.

Last time, Biden tested COVID-19 positive twice in 2022 when he had a primary case and a rebound case of the virus.

Health officials have reported recent upticks in emergency room visits and hospitalizations due to COVID-19. There has also been a pronounced increase in positive test results in much of the country, particularly the southwestern US.

(With AP inputs)