REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) – President Joe Biden “The symptoms of COVID-19 have almost completely resolved,” according to his doctor, as the president remained out of public view on Monday for the fifth day in a row.
Biden visited Wilmington, Delaware, his former campaign headquarters, during a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, whose bid for the White House was endorsed by Biden. The president sought to cheer up the team, urging them to give “every bit” of their “heart and soul” to Harris. Biden also promised to be “on the road” campaigning for his vice president.
“If I didn’t have Covid, I’d be right there with you,” said Biden, whose voice sounded a little hoarse.
The president was last seen in public on Wednesday after arriving at a US air base in Dover, Delaware, following positive test for COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas earlier in the day. He then traveled by motorcade to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The White House says Biden plans to return to the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, said the president completed his 10th dose of the COVID-fighting drug Paxlovid on Monday morning and continued to perform all of his presidential duties.
“His symptoms have almost completely disappeared. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal,” O’Connor wrote. “His oxygen saturation remains excellent in room air. Your lungs stay clear.”
The White House said Biden received separate briefings on Monday from homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Both briefings were held virtually.
Biden’s public agenda for the week has remained clear as he recovers from the virus, but he said in his Sunday letter that he planned to address the nation this week to discuss his decision to end his candidacy.
Biden plans meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the White House announcement.
Biden also plans to meet at the White House later this week with the families of Americans still being held hostage in Gaza, according to a statement from the group of families who met privately with Sullivan on Monday.
It would be the second time that Biden would meet with the families. The families again publicly called on Israel and Hamas to reach agreement on a ceasefire agreement that would free their loved ones. Biden proposed in late May a three-phase deal aimed at returning the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and could potentially lead to a permanent truce to end the nine-month war in Gaza.
“We will continue working to end the war in Gaza,” Biden said during his call to campaign headquarters. “I will be working closely with the Israelis and the Palestinians to try to resolve how we can end the war in Gaza, and peace in the Middle East, and get all these hostages home. I think we’re on the verge of being able to do that.”
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Megerian reported from Wilmington, Delaware, and Kim from Washington. AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
