WASHINGTON – Even though he tested positive for the coronavirus twice last year, President Joe Biden has no long-term symptoms and was declared “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to perform his White House duties, according to a routine medical exam conducted Thursday.
The findings were contained in a memo from Biden’s doctor summarizing the tests conducted during a three-hour stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The conclusions of Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s personal physician since 2009, is likely to be under scrutiny as the oldest president in history has plans for a expected re-election campaign.
O’Connor concluded in a five-page memo that Biden “remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old man capable of successfully carrying out the duties of the presidency.” But the doctor didn’t speculate about where Biden’s health is could be at the age of 86 when a second term could end.
The president had a lesion removed from his chest, which will undergo a traditional biopsy. However, Thursday’s findings were broadly consistent with findings after the president’s last physical in November 2021, which found his cough was due to acid reflux and his stiff gait was due to spinal arthritis, a previously fractured foot and neuropathy in his feet.
The memo called Biden’s health generally “stable” compared to his last physical, though it noted his calves and hamstrings may have tightened.
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 in July and had “very mild symptoms,” according to the White House. He also had a rebound infection and finally tested negative on August 6 last year. The President continued to work even as he isolated himself in the White House.
“Well, everything was going really well,” Biden told NBC News Thursday of the pre-release memo review.
Many people, including Democrats, have expressed reservations about Biden is aiming for a second term in 2024. According to a recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, just 37% of Democrats say Biden should seek re-election, up from 52% before last November’s election. Overall, 22% of US adults said they should walk again.
Follow-up interviews with people in the poll showed that Biden’s age was a big issue. They noted his coughing, a greater sense of fragility in his gait, and moments when he mispronounced himself.
Biden had a colonoscopy in 2021, which identified and removed a 3-millimeter “appearing benign polyp.” At the examination on Thursday, he did not undergo a colonoscopy.
When asked about his age and ability to be president in a recent PBS interview, Biden responded with what has become his stock line: “Watch me. That’s all I can say.”
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