The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Harris takes reins as Biden gets check-up
President Joe Biden briefly transferred power to VicePresident Kamala Harris yesterday as he had a “routine colonoscopy” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said: “As was the case when President George W Bush had the same procedure in 2002 and 2007, and following the process set out in the Constitution, President Biden will transfer power to the vicepresident for the brief period of time when he is under anaesthesia.”
Ms Harris, the first woman to be vicepresident, made history during the short time she served as acting president.
Mr Biden, 78, had his last full exam in December 2019, when doctors found him to be “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” according to a doctor’s report at the time.
Dr Kevin O’Connor, who has been Biden’s doctor since 2009, wrote that the then-presidential candidate was in overall good shape, saying that since 2003, Mr Biden has had episodes of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that is potentially serious but treatable.
At the time, Dr O’Connor cited a list of tests that showed Biden’s heart was functioning normally and that he only needed a blood thinner to prevent blood clots or stroke.
Mr Biden had a brush with death in 1988, requiring surgery to repair two brain aneurysms, weak
bulges in arteries, one of which was leaking.
His doctor said Mr Biden has never had a recurrence, citing a test in 2014 that examined his arteries.
When Mr Biden took office, he brought Dr O’Connor back to the White House to continue serving as his doctor.
Once the Covid-19 pandemic emerged in early
2020, Biden’s team took serious steps to keep the then-candidate and nowpresident healthy as the virus raged and took a disproportionate toll among older people.
Mr Biden received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in December 2020 and his second dose just two weeks before taking office.
In late September he received a booster dose, which medical regulators and officials say provides the body with more enduring protection.
The White House said President Biden would authorise the release of a medical report, as is customary for presidents and presidential candidates.