Once again, Joe Biden has contracted COVID-19.
The White House announced today that President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 for the third time in two years. According to the White House, the President was in Las Vegas trying to convince voters, donors and lawmakers that he is the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump in November’s presidential election when he developed symptoms of a runny nose and cough. statementHe is already taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will be isolating at his home in Delaware.
The trajectory of the president and the pandemic has changed significantly since Biden’s first two bouts of COVID-19 (the first infection and then the resurgence shortly thereafter in 2022). Biden’s cognitive abilities have come under increased scrutiny, especially after the president exhibited difficulty completing sentences and maintaining his train of thought during last month’s debate with President Trump. Reported COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death rates are falling thanks to vaccinations, and preventative measures are rarer than ever. Biden is vaccinated and has very good access to health care. He’ll probably be fine. But one basic fact remains: COVID-19 can still take a toll, especially on the elderly.
According to preliminary data from the CDC, about 4 out of 100,000 Americans aged 75 and older (0.004%) died from COVID-19 in June. This is far from the staggering mortality rate in 2020 (about 0.17% for that age group in April of that year), but it is still significant compared to the risk for younger Americans. For example, the COVID mortality rate for 30-39 year olds in June 2024 is 2 out of 100,000. Ten millionHospitalizations show a similar pattern among older adults: More than 60 out of every 100,000 Americans over the age of 75 were hospitalized with COVID in the last month, a figure that the CDC says is likely an undercount.
Still, for older people, the risk of COVID appears to increase if they live just a few more years. People over 75 are currently 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID than people 65 to 74, and seven times more likely to die. And people in their 80s can develop health problems at an alarming rate. Diseases that are more common in older people, such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and stroke, all increase the chance of serious complications from COVID.
Biden is more likely than any other American his age to recover from the infection with minimal long-term effects. So far, his symptoms have been mild, he has no fever and his blood oxygen levels are normal, according to a White House statement. Biden received his first COVID vaccine in 2020 and has had several more since, most recently. Mid-SeptemberVaccines have been proven to reduce the most serious risk of the disease, especially among older adults, and if things do turn around, President Biden has care teams and resources ready to go.
However, when it comes to COVID, Good for an 81 year old It’s definitely not good. And even if COVID doesn’t kill you, it has nasty, lasting effects: Even a mild bout of COVID can last for weeks or years, with symptoms ranging from inconvenient to debilitating. study A report released today found that since Omicron became the dominant variant in the U.S., about 7.8% of infected patients have developed long-term symptoms. Any further deterioration is a worrying prospect, given the current concerns about the president’s health and mental acuity. Older adults are especially at increased risk, according to a report released last month by the National Academy of Sciences. Cognitive impairment A president stepping down after contracting COVID-19. What does it mean for a man who is already showing significant signs of decline, working one of the most demanding jobs on earth, in the midst of the most important political campaign of our lifetimes, and refusing to take the weight of American democracy off his aging shoulders?
Ten days ago, after Biden’s poor debate performance and before a gunman attempted to assassinate his opponent at a rally, the president made a puzzling statement. Addressing a crowd at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, he declared, “I’ve ended the pandemic.” The reality is that COVID-19 continues to upend people’s lives every day. Americans should keep in mind that it could also upend the election.
Lila Shroff contributed reporting.
