--- description: The White House said Biden tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. title: President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7199e54f2eb7425/698a58e2b21a9c9fc250a38d/GettyImages-2161850918.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Joe Biden](/tag/joe-biden/) ## Joe Biden Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, White House Says ## Video: Biden: 'I Feel Good' About State of Presidential Race [Watch (HLS stream): Biden: 'I Feel Good' About State of Presidential Race](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eX1ZR0hF.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2024-07-18. President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday._  by [Nik Popli](/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:38 PM CUTPublished: Jul 17, 2024 10:40 PM CUT  US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024, en route to Delaware. US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024, en route to Delaware.Kent Nishimura – AFP via Getty Images  by [Nik Popli](/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Updated: Jan 19, 2026 5:38 PM CUTPublished: Jul 17, 2024 10:40 PM CUT President Joe Biden has tested positive for [COVID-19](https://time.com/6999274/long-covid-risk-2024/ "undefined") and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that [Biden](https://time.com/6994628/democrats-biden-drop-out/ "undefined"), 81, tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas. Biden was scheduled to speak at the UnidosUS conference Wednesday night, but the group’s president announced that he would no longer be able to attend. Jean-Pierre said the President will be returning to his home state of Delaware “where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.” She added that he is vaccinated and boosted. The President told reporters before departing Las Vegas, "I feel good." He did not appear to be wearing a mask as he boarded the plane, following the positive COVID-19 test. > [](https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1813715823053193685) Biden had scheduled several events this week, following questions about his health and mental fitness after a [poor debate performance](https://time.com/6993760/joe-biden-debate-disaster-democratic-panic/ "undefined") in late June. The President said in an [interview](https://app.frame.io/reviews/2fb3a28b-39ba-40cb-87e4-1ab265a13c87/5d859f6e-0b15-422d-84aa-fcf711b4a333 "undefined") that took place before the COVID-19 diagnosis that he would consider dropping out of the presidential race if his doctors told him he had a “medical condition.” He last tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022\. **Read More:** [_If Biden Steps Down From Campaign, Here’s What Historians Think Will Happen Next_](https://time.com/6998091/biden-historians-whats-next/ "undefined") Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the President’s physician, said in a statement that Biden came down with a runny nose and “non-productive cough” with general malaise on Wednesday afternoon. “He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” the physician continued. “Given this, the President will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals. PCR confirmation testing will be pending. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth.” Get alerts on the biggest breaking news stories [**here**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=breaking-news "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/"},"headline":"President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, White House Says","datePublished":"2024-07-17T22:40:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T17:38:27.000Z","description":"The White House said Biden tested positive for the virus earlier in the day after an event in Las Vegas.","url":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/","keywords":["Joe Biden","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7199e54f2eb7425/698a58e2b21a9c9fc250a38d/GettyImages-2161850918.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7199e54f2eb7425/698a58e2b21a9c9fc250a38d/GettyImages-2161850918.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-POLITICS-BIDEN","caption":"US-POLITICS-BIDEN","creditText":"Kent Nishimura – AFP via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/joe-biden/","name":"Joe Biden"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/","name":"President Biden Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, White House Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Biden: 'I Feel Good' About State of Presidential Race","description":"President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House confirmed Wednesday.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/eX1ZR0hF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-07-18T15:05:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eX1ZR0hF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/","duration":"PT1M7S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6999896/biden-tested-positive-covid-19/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```