Biden compares his COVID recovery to Trump’s hospitalization in Rose Garden speech

After 5 days of remoted work within the White Home, President Joe Biden reappeared on Wednesday – and advised the American public that his delicate episode of COVID-19 was a testomony to the facility of vaccines and therapies.

“Even if you happen to get COVID, you’ll be able to keep away from ending up with a extreme case,” Biden mentioned from the Rose Backyard late Wednesday morning, in his first public look after back-to-back damaging antigen check outcomes.

Talking for about 10 minutes, the president linked his personal restoration to what he referred to as his administration’s profitable efforts to battle the pandemic.

“Now you can stop most COVID deaths, and that is thanks to 3 free instruments the Biden administration invested in and doled out within the final yr: booster photographs, house testing [and] easy and efficient therapies. We walked by means of COVID fearlessly, I walked by means of it fearlessly, very slight discomfort due to these important life-saving instruments,” he mentioned.

“You do not have to be president for these instruments for use in your protection,” he mentioned.

He in contrast that have along with his predecessor Donald Trump, who additionally fell sick with COVID however at a a lot earlier stage within the pandemic.

“When my predecessor contracted COVID, he needed to be airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Heart. He was critically sick. Fortuitously, he recovered,” mentioned Biden, who hardly ever speaks straight about Trump. “Once I had COVID, I used to be working upstairs.”

Trump, like Biden, additionally urged the general public to not give in to concern after recovering from the virus: “Do not be afraid of Covid. Do not let it take over your life,” Trump mentioned on social media on the time. social.

Within the Rose Backyard on Wednesday, Biden mentioned the explanation for the optimism was clear whereas acknowledging the toll of the years-long pandemic. (Unsaid had been the issues the Biden and Trump administrations confronted with testing, well being infrastructure and inspiring full vaccinations.)

“COVID was killing 1000’s of Individuals a day after I bought right here. It is not anymore,” Biden mentioned. “You may dwell fearlessly doing what I’ve completed – get boosted, examined, and handled. On the similar time, my administration stays vigilant. Proper now, now we have the instruments to maintain you from falling badly sick or die from COVID, however we do not cease there.”

His feedback mark a continuation of his White Home’s message that whereas the coronavirus is right here to remain — one thing many public well being specialists have lengthy warned and fought towards — life can largely return to regular for a lot of, if not all, Individuals.

“Let’s proceed to emerge from one of many darkest instances in our historical past with hope and light-weight for what could come,” Biden mentioned.

How Biden bought sick

The president seemingly had the extremely contagious BA.5 subvariant, and his signs included a runny nostril, cough, sore throat, delicate fever and physique aches, the White Home mentioned. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, by no means reported any abnormalities in Biden’s pulse, blood strain, respiratory fee, or oxygen saturation all through his an infection, which was first found. instances Thursday.

Biden accomplished his five-day course of Paxlovid, a key COVID therapy, 36 hours in the past, O’Connor wrote in a Wednesday morning memo that was later launched by the White Home.

The president’s damaging checks on Tuesday and Wednesday come lower than per week after the president’s first optimistic check final Thursday morning.

Biden advised reporters on Monday that every one of his check outcomes had been “good” and “on button.”

Since Wednesday, Biden has ended his strict isolation measures after being confined to the White Home residence since his analysis. He’ll proceed to put on a “well-fitting” masks as wanted for 10 days, in response to O’Connor.

He labored whereas in self-isolation, posting a photograph on Twitter on Monday of him and his canine, Commander, saying he “took calls this morning with the most effective man’s co-worker”.

Talking nearly to reporters on Monday as he recovers, Biden mentioned it was the commander who served as his wake-up name in isolation. (First girl Jill Biden and the White Home cat had quickly moved to Delaware.)

The president tweeted a photograph of one in all his damaging checks on Wednesday and wrote that he was returning to the Oval Workplace. Reporters noticed him – in his standard aviator sun shades and a face masks – exit the residence on Wednesday; her voice appeared to have improved significantly over the previous few days, with no cough.

Biden “continues to be terribly conscientious in defending any member of the Govt Residence, White Home, Secret Service and different personnel whose duties require shut (albeit socially distant) proximity to him,” he mentioned. O’Connor wrote in his memo on Wednesday.

Biden will enhance his testing cadence in gentle of the potential of a Paxlovid ‘bounce’, O’Connor wrote, referring to a seemingly uncommon however more and more reported phenomenon wherein COVID signs recur or he there’s the event of a brand new optimistic viral check after testing damaging.

The president is totally vaccinated and has acquired two booster photographs, however on the age of 79 he was thought-about to be at larger threat of significant sickness.

White Home COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha careworn after Biden’s analysis that every one Individuals ought to make the most of vaccination and therapy programs.

“That is a couple of president who has been double-vaccinated, double-boosted, who’s receiving therapies which might be extensively obtainable to Individuals, and who’s presently affected by delicate respiratory sickness,” Jha advised ‘This Week’ on Sunday. on ABC. “It is excellent information, and it is each vaccines and coverings which might be obtainable for everybody. It is actually vital that folks exit and get vaccinated and make the most of these therapies if they’re contaminated. .”

The primary girl and Vice President Kamala Harris each examined damaging for COVID-19 after spending time with Biden earlier than his analysis.

Mary Bruce, Alexandra Hutzler, Arielle Mitropoulos, Molly Nagle and ABC Information’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.