President Biden tests positive for COVID-19 during Las Vegas visit

Shafaq News/ US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while visiting Las Vegas and is self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms.

The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the positive test for the 81-year-old Democrat after Biden canceled a scheduled speech due to the diagnosis.

"He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms," Jean-Pierre said.

The illness comes at a critical time for Biden, who has been losing ground in battleground states against Republican Donald Trump. Trump is headlining a convention this week after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday.

The White House cited Biden's doctor as saying he had been suffering from "upper respiratory" symptoms earlier in the afternoon.

"He felt OK for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point-of-care testing for COVID-19 was conducted and the results were positive," the statement said.

Biden will be self-isolating in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the White House said. His symptoms are mild, and he has received an initial dose of Paxlovid, according to the doctor.

Biden previously tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2022.