ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday wished United States President Joe Biden a swift recovery after the latter tested positive for COVID-19 and began experiencing mild symptoms of the disease.
Biden, who is campaigning for reelection, had to cut short a trip to Las Vegas and flew to his beach home in Delaware to isolate.
The 81-year-old Democrat was reported to have contracted the disease shortly after saying he would consider ending his reelection campaign if diagnosed with a serious medical condition.
However, before entering self-isolation, he assured reporters he was feeling good.
“Wishing President Biden @POTUS swift and complete recovery from Covid,” Sharif wrote in a social media post in response to the development. “Good wishes.”
The infection comes at a critical moment for Biden’s campaign, with the president seeking to show he is up to the job after a disastrous debate performance against rival Donald Trump sparked concerns about his health and calls from some Democrats for him to step aside.
It is also the latest development in a tumultuous few days in an already frenetic White House race that saw Trump survive an assassination attempt at a campaign rally.
Biden was forced to cancel a speech to a union representing Latino workers who will be crucial for his election bid, having attended a campaign event earlier in the day and given a radio interview.
His spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was vaccinated and boosted, was now taking the Covid medication Paxlovid and “continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”
With input from AFP
