[1/4]U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., on September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Get license rights
WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 days earlier, having tested negative for the virus as he heads to a 20-member summit at the White House. said on Monday.
Biden’s 72-year-old wife, whose symptoms have been described as mild, last had Covid in August last year. The president, now 80, last tested positive in July 2022.
“This evening, the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19,” her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. “He will be staying at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.”
Biden flew in alone from Delaware on Monday evening.
“Following the first lady’s positive test for COVID-19, President Biden was tested for COVID this evening,” the White House said. “The President tested negative. The President will be tested at a regular cadence this week and monitor symptoms.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden’s foreign trip would be affected.
But Biden’s official week-ahead schedule, released shortly after the announcement of the first lady’s diagnosis, showed her traveling to New Delhi on Thursday to attend the G20 summit. Biden is scheduled to fly to Hanoi on Sunday.
Biden is running for re-election in 2024, in which the question of his age has become a major issue for voters.
He is the oldest president seeking a second term, and some Republicans have said he is too old to give him another four years in the White House.
Biden’s allies say he is qualified to serve as president.
Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Matt Spedalnik and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry Doyle
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