Biden adds to US’ ‘longest list’ of infected officials
▶ Shows US epidemic still severe, far from over
The news that US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 has drawn global attention and led to a range of reactions in the US, including increasing concerns over Biden’s health, questions on whether the president can perform his duties, and criticism targeting the media’s different response to former president Donald Trump’s positive diagnosis, which analysts said showcased the US’ total failure in dealing with the pandemic and the fracturing of society, as well as the fierce battle between the two parties.
With Biden joining a handful of high-level US officials who have been infected, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president Barack Obama, the US’ failure in its COVID-19 response has been displayed to the world again, analysts said.
On Thursday, the White House said that Biden, who is fully vaccinated and double boosted, was experiencing “very mild” symptoms and began taking Pfizer’s antiviral pill Paxlovid. He will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties during isolation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message of sympathy to Biden and wished him a speedy recovery. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also sent his best wishes to Biden, Reuters reported.
The news of Biden’s positive test for coronavirus soon made headlines both
in the US and globally. Although the White House has worked hard to play down concerns about Biden’s health, many pointed out the influence of COVID-19 on Biden remains unknown considering his age and previous medical and surgical history.
The US now has the world’s largest number of cases and deaths of coronavirus but the government has chosen to live with the virus, analysts said, noting that Biden’s infection once again highlighted the severe epidemic situation in the US and the US government’s failure in dealing with it.
Biden, 79, suffered two brain aneurysms in 1988 and had surgery to repair burst blood vessels. Worries on his health continued since he announced to campaign for presidency and related questions were frequently floated by the media especially after he often appeared to stumble during public events. For example, he stumbled when climbing the steps to Air Force One in March; and in June, he took a tumble while out for a bike ride at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Compared with former president Donald Trump, who was also infected with COVID-19, Biden’s age represents a risk factor. But given he is fully vaccinated and taking Paxlovid while experiencing mild symptoms, the risk may statistically be lower and he may not need to go to hospital like his predecessor did, Chen Xi, an associate professor of public health at Yale University, told the Global Times.
Biden’s infection showcased that the biggest problem for the US is that the pandemic is far from over, while efforts to contain transmission have already ended. With the continuous emerging of various variants of coronavirus, the declining of the efficiency after being vaccinated, and the high risk of indoor infections in autumn and winter months, a new wave of infections will be hard to avoid, Chen said.
According to data from US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, roughly 126,000 new infections are being reported every day, up roughly 26 percent from one month ago. Two new subvariants of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, have become the dominant strains of the coronavirus across the US.
Many analysts had also warned about the effects of the US living with the coronavirus. For example, US health officials were cited by Reuters as saying that data showed overall, one in 13 adults in the US have long COVID symptoms, including fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, cognitive difficulties, chronic pain, sensory abnormalities and muscle weakness.
Biden’s infection after many senior officials and politicians testing positive once again showcased the US’ total failure in dealing with the pandemic since there is no other country in the world that has seen so many infections among the people and the high-level officials, Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
As of Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the US had reported more than 90 million infections with a total of one million related deaths – both the highest in the world.
Lü noted that Biden’s infection would also increase concerns over the stability of the Biden administration. The president’s stumbling in March and June probably hint a decline of Biden’s health, and more questions have been and will be asked on his capability of political decision-making and this administration’s functioning.
Currently, in the US, it seems nobody has the capability to stand out and control the whole situation, with so many difficult problems unsolved – Vice President Kamala Harris has suffered from a low approval rating, while Congress is in chaos and the Supreme Court is mired in controversy. The situation in the US is both fractured and messy, according to Lü.
The White House was also aware that it will be crucial for the Biden administration to show the president can perform his duties in the coming days, and the communications team posted updates about how Biden felt and photos of him working in the White House. On Thursday afternoon, Biden also posted a video, in which he said “I’m doing well.”
Some Trump supporters expressed discontentment about the different responses of media on Biden’s and Trump’s infections.
The various reactions are epitome of the current split of the US society and the fierce battle of two parties, said one analyst, referring to the current series of high-profile public hearing on the Capital riot.