WASHINGTON: United States (US) President Joe Biden, 81, has tested positive for COVID-19, confirmed White House on Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the positive test for the 81-year-old Democrat after the president of UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights organisation, said Biden would not be able to speak at a scheduled event due to the diagnosis.
“He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms,” Jean-Pierre added.
As he boarded Air Force One to depart Las Vegas to recuperate in Delaware, Biden told reporters: “Good, I feel good.” But he climbed the stairs slowly, holding the railing tightly and pausing a few steps in and again towards the top.
The illness comes at a crucial time for Biden, who has been losing ground in battleground states against Republican Donald Trump, who is headlining a triumphant convention this week after he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.
The White House said Biden planned to spend a long weekend at his Delaware beach house. It was unclear how long the sickness would keep him for the campaign trail.
Minutes after the announcement, the president’s motorcade was on the move to the Las Vegas airport after taping a radio interview in the city.
Biden had greeted a couple of dozen people at a Mexican restaurant prior to going into the radio interview. He was running late to deliver a speech to Latino civil rights group UnidosUS when the organiser, Janet Murguia, announced he had tested positive for COVID.
