Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tests negative for COVID-19
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday, hours after his Republican opponent, President Donald Trump, announced he had been infected and was self-quarantining at the White House.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected,” read a statement from Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
In a tweet, Biden said, “I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for COVID. Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
Biden is going ahead with his planned trip to Grand Rapids, Mich. on Friday afternoon, where he is scheduled to deliver an address on the economy and attend an event to mobilize supporters.
Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, also tested negative for coronavirus Friday morning, according to an aide. The aide added that Harris still planned to travel to Las Vegas and Emhoff was still scheduled to visit Greensboro, N.C. today.
Trump’s positive test for the coronavirus, just two days after he and Biden met for the first presidential debate, threw an already turbulent campaign into a fresh season of chaos and uncertainty with just 32 days before Election Day. Early voting is well underway in some key battleground states.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Friday morning that Trump was experiencing “mild” symptoms. First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for coronavirus.
Biden said earlier Friday on Twitter that he and his wife wished for a “swift recovery” for the Trumps.
“We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” Bide said.
Alex Roarty and David Lightman contributed.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tests negative for COVID-19."
