UPDATE

WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a year, President Joe Biden’s ability to avoid the coronavirus seemed to defy the odds. When Biden finally did test positive, the White House was ready. It set out to turn the diagnosis into a “teachable moment” and dispel any notion of a crisis. The White House offered repeated assurances Thursday that the president was hard at work while isolating in the residential areas of the White House with “very mild symptoms” of a runny nose, dry cough and fatigue. It was part of an administration effort to offer Biden as the personification of the idea that any American can get COVID-19 and recover without too much suffering if they’ve gotten their shots and taken other important steps.

UPDATE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, underscoring the extent to which the virus has infiltrated American society. The White House said Thursday the 79-year-old Biden is experiencing “very mild symptoms,” including a stuffy nose fatigue and cough. He has begun taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug designed to reduce the severity of the disease. Biden is fully vaccinated and has received two boosters. When a fully vaccinated person experiences infection, the chance of severe illness or death is low. Biden will isolate at the White House but carry out his duties via phone and Zoom, the White House said. Biden canceled a planned visit to Pennsylvania on Thursday.

Earlier

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, making him the second U.S. president to get the virus and underscoring the extent to which the virus has infiltrated American society. The 79-year-old Biden is fully vaccinated after getting two initial doses of the coronavirus vaccine and two boosters since. When a fully vaccinated person experiences a breakthrough infection, the chance of severe illness or death is low. The announcement highlights the unpredictable nature of a virus that has now infected numerous world leaders, despite an urgent global vaccination drive and feverish efforts at containment.