Biden feeling ‘much, much better’ after COVID diagnosis

The White House COVID-19 coordinator says President Joe Biden is feeling ‘much, much better’ after testing positive for the coronavirus

President Joe Biden is feeling ‘much, much better’ after testing positive for the coronavirus, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator said Sunday, confirming that the 79-year-old U.S. leader was infected with a highly contagious variant spreading throughout the country.

“It is the BA.5 variant...but thank goodness our vaccines and therapeutics work well against it, which is why I think the President’s doing well,” Dr. Ashish Jha told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“I checked in with his team late last night. He was feeling well. He had a good day yesterday. He’s got...an upper respiratory infection and he’s doing just fine. We haven’t gotten any updates this morning, but throughout the night he was feeling much, much better.’’

That variant is an offshoot of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 that emerged late last year. It is believed responsible for the vast majority of coronavirus cases in the country. Mr. Biden tested positive for the virus on Thursday morning. He has been isolating in the White House residence since then.

Administration officials have emphasised that his symptoms are mild because he has received four vaccine doses, and he started taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid after becoming infected.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the President’s physician, wrote in his latest update Saturday on Mr. Biden’s condition that Mr. Biden’s earlier symptoms, including a runny nose and a cough, have become “less troublesome,” but that the President now had body aches and a sore throat.