Joe Biden is expected to be released from isolation once he tests negative.
Washington:
Audio-bombed by a barking pet dog, wondering if he looks okay in a video conference, and finally being allowed to go to the gym – Joe Biden may be the most powerful man in the world but the ups and downs of Covid isolation are the same as for anyone else.
Biden’s fifth day on Tuesday was confined to the quarter and his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said the president had now completed a five-day course of therapeutic PaxLovid, with almost all symptoms of the coronavirus gone.
“His symptoms are now almost completely resolved,” O’Connor said in a memo.
Biden is expected to be released from isolation once he tests negative.
But there’s little question that the 79-year-old is already prepared, at least mentally.
While the doctor focused mostly on items like healthy oxygen saturation, pulse and temperature, the line that really spoke to Biden’s position was that he “feels well enough to resume his physical exercise regime.”
Unlike his predecessor Donald Trump, who thought gyms and such could actually be bad for you, Biden workouts every morning, as well as gentle bike rides at home in Delaware over the weekend.
“He asked to exercise last night,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “He likes to do weights, he likes to do the treadmill.”
on-screen jokes
The announcement last week that he had tested positive for Covid-19 meant Biden had to cancel domestic travel plans and reduce working hours at the White House, though staffers insisted that he perform full duties. continue to do.
Although he is expected to return to work in person this week, Tuesday was another virtual day, with the president asking executives from South Korean giant SK to invest $22 billion in semiconductors and other high-tech industries.
When visitors and senior staff gathered in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Biden appeared on a video screen, laughing as he explained that he was actually just a few doors away in the same building.
“I can go out to the balcony and yell at you,” he said.
In the midst of discussions on important issues of South Korean-US relations, Biden revealed the more human aspects of working from home that will be familiar to most people on the planet over the years.
“I’m feeling great. I hope it comes on screen”, quipped Biden. “I hope I look as good as I usually look, which isn’t that good.”
Then during an exchange with officers on the skilled workforce, a loud dog bark – possibly Biden’s German Shepherd commander – was heard interrupting the live feed.
Jean-Pierre said Biden is clearly on the mend.
“It brought a smile to my face when I saw he wanted to work,” she said.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)