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Biden cancels events after testing positive for COVID

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Biden leaving Las Vegas after testing positive (Credit: C-SPAN)

U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly canceled a scheduled speech in Las Vegas after testing positive for COVID-19, the White House said, adding that the president was experiencing only “mild” symptoms.

Biden, who is 81, was scheduled to deliver remarks at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, but the speech was canceled at 3 p.m., when the audience had already been waiting for 90 minutes.

“Regrettably, I was just on the phone with President Biden and he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon,” Janet Murgua, the president of UnidosUS, told the audience.

“The president has been at many events as we all know and he just tested positive for COVID, so of course we understand that he needs to take the precautions that have been recommended and he did not obviously want to put anybody at risk,” she added.

Murgua added: “He said to tell my folks that we’re not gonna get rid of him that quickly, we’re gonna have a chance to hear from him in the future directly. He’s just really sorry he couldn’t be with us.”

Biden’s appearance at a community campaign event, which was supposed to follow his speech at UnidosUS, was also canceled. Instead, the president returned to the airport and flew to his vacation home in Delaware, where he plans to self-isolate.

Kevin O’Connor, the president’s doctor, said Biden presented with upper respiratory symptoms on Wednesday afternoon, including a runny nose, a non-productive cough and general malaise, though he felt good enough for the first event of the day.

“Given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive,” O’Connor said in a statement. “Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals.”

O’Connor also prescribed Paxlovid, of which the first dose was immediately administered.

The news comes just two weeks after Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, also tested positive for COVID. Harris remained asymptomatic and tested negative, according to the White House. Both Harris and Emhoff spent time with the Biden family on the 4th of July.

Many parts of the U.S. are currently experiencing a summer wave of COVID-19, which continues to kill hundreds of Americans every week. At least 120,000 new cases were reported last week, although the actual figures are higher because of limited testing, according to statistics gathered by BNO News.

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