Former U.S. President Barack Obama has said that he tested positive for COVI-19 and urged fellow Americans to get vaccinated though the deadly disease is on the wane in the country.
“I just tested positive for Covid,” Mr. Obama, 60, tweeted on March 13.
“I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple of days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” he said on his official Twitter account.
Mr. Obama also said that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative.
“Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted,” the former President said in a Facebook post.
“It’s a good reminder that, even as cases go down, you should get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already to help prevent more serious symptoms and giving Covid to others.” Certain demographics in the U.S., such as African Americans and Republicans, are more hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine than others.
Mr. Obama had recently returned to Washington, DC, after spending much of the winter in Hawaii. He tested positive in DC, a person close to him said, CNN reported.
The diagnosis makes Mr. Obama the second U.S. President known to contract the virus after then-President Donald Trump announced he tested positive in October 2020, which was before vaccines were widely available in the U.S.
Mr. Obama has been a champion of public health measures throughout the pandemic. Last August, he dramatically scaled back his 60th birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard due to concerns at the time over the Delta variant.
Currently, only 2% of the U.S. population live in a county with a “high” Covid-19 community level, according to data from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rest are at “low” or “medium” community levels, areas where there’s no recommendation for masking or where immunocompromised people and those at high risk for severe disease are advised to take extra precautions against COVID-19, respectively.
Total 79,517,492 coronavirus cases have been reported in the U.S. and 967,552 people have died, according to statistics provided by Johns Hopkins University.
PM Modi wishes quick recovery to Obama
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wished a quick recovery to former U.S. President Barack Obama who has tested positive for COVID-19.
“My best wishes @BarackObama for your quick recovery from COVID-19, and for your family’s good health and wellbeing,” Mr. Modi tweeted.
