Dr. Siegel: Biden is in a COVID risk group because of his age
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel suggests rest following President Biden's positive COVID test but believes he will handle the infection well.
President Biden elicited a far more sympathetic media response for his post-COVID diagnosis appearance than former President Trump in 2020.
On Thursday, the White House announced that Biden had tested positive for the coronavirus. A statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that he experienced "very mild symptoms" and has been taking Paxlovid. In addition, she mentioned that, in line with CDC protocol, the president will isolate in the White House and continue his duties there.
After the news broke, Biden appeared in a Twitter video shot on a balcony of the White House to reassure voters of his health.
"Hey folks, I guess you heard this morning I tested positive for COVID. But I’ve been double vaccinated, double boosted. Symptoms are mild. And I really appreciate your inquiries and concerns. But I’m doing well, getting a lot of work done. Going to continue to get it done. And in the meantime, thanks for your concern and keep the faith. It’s going to be okay," Biden said.
President Biden shared an update on his condition after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday morning. (President Biden/Twitter)
PRESIDENT BIDEN TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
The White House also released a picture of Biden maskless at a desk in the White House.
Jean-Pierre later insisted that the crew working on the video and photo were wearing N95 masks at the time and stood six feet away in line with CDC guidelines.
Media pundits praised the video for emphasizing "transparency" in Biden's COVID diagnosis and showing the president in a positive mood.
On NBC News Now, MSNBC host Symone Sanders said that "it is very important for this White House, especially since there’s so much chatter, if you will about the age of President Biden, he’s 79, that they are transparent. And if they say he’s well, they show him doing well."
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin replied to the president's video on Twitter, "smartly done to show him jocular."
CNN's Chris Cillizza also added, "White House is working very hard to make sure people know Biden is up and active during his Covid diagnosis."
This is the first reported time President Biden has tested positive for COVID-19. However, his predecessor, President Trump, previously tested positive for the coronavirus in Oct. 2020. After being discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump stood on the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn and saluted Marine officers without wearing a mask.
While Biden’s video elicited no media backlash, Trump’s balcony appearance drew scorn and outrage at the time.
The Guardian’s Marina Hyde described Trump’s balcony address as "deranged" and criticized him for leaving "everyone else exposed" from his illness.
President Biden released a photo of himself in the White House after testing positive for COVID-19, Thursday, July 21, 2022. (White House)
Esquire described the "stunt" as a "portrait of American empire in decline" as Trump was "exhaling droplets of pandemic disease" to media onlookers.
NBC similarly described the appearance as a "photo opportunity" and noted that health experts say coronavirus patients should continue to wear masks to not infect others.
The New Yorker’s Amy Davidson Sorkin went as far as to suggest Trump was willing to watch people die in order to push his "dangerous message" of removing masks.
"He is ready to let people die so that the visuals of American communities don’t include reminders—as long, that is, as no one looks inside the hospitals—that the pandemic even exists," Sorkin wrote.
While reporting on Trump’s case, CNN’s "New Day" co-host John Berman even lambasted producers for showing images of the maskless president on the balcony.
"Take if off. Please, don't even put it on the screen," Berman said live. "Please take it off, because that's going to kill people."
BIDEN COVID DIAGNOSIS: MSNBC, CNN, ABC AND MORE FLOAT NEW MASK RESTRICTIONS, TOUR BOOSTERS
U.S. President Donald Trump pulls off his protective face mask as he poses atop the Truman Balcony of the White House after returning from being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment, in Washington, U.S. October 5, 2020. (REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo)
At the time, various media outlets also attacked Trump for returning to the White House while still infected with the coronavirus.
NPR reported how some considered the move "reckless" for endangering non-political workers at the White House.
The Atlantic noted that "The president’s behavior threatens the very employees charged with taking care of him."
David Bauder from the Associated Press reported several reporters feeling "anxiety" over having to work in the White House after Trump’s return.
"It’s frustrating," ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl said at the time, "Frankly, it makes you angry."
President Biden tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. Former President Donald Trump tested positive in 2020. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Although Biden has reported only mild symptoms, he is considered a high-risk case due to his age and medical conditions. Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden tested negative for the coronavirus, according to a White House official.