President Biden had to repeatedly halt remarks on the White House lawn due to a persistent hacking cough Tuesday — just days after he tested negative for COVID-19 following a “rebound” infection.
Biden, 79, paused several times during his remarks on passage of a $280 billion computer-chip bill, including at one point to sip water.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry,” the president said, adding, “I’m going to take another sip of water.”
The uncomfortable extended fit was notably more severe than Biden’s standard throat-clearing during remarks, which his physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor last year attributed to gastroesophageal reflux.
After completing his speech, Biden was seen blowing his nose before members of Congress crowded around to watch him sign the technology legislation. He did not wash his hands before greeting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and he proceeded to mingle with other legislators present.
Biden was also spotted coughing Monday during a briefing on storm damage in eastern Kentucky, but the hacking was more pronounced Tuesday.
“This is the most difficulty [Biden] has had getting through prepared remarks in a while as he struggles with repeated coughing/throat clearing,” tweeted Voice of America journalist Steve Herman.
Jake Schneider, deputy director of rapid response at the Republican National Committee, tweeted, “Just imagine a scenario in which Donald Trump gives a speech days after he gets COVID and hacks nasty coughs into his hands every 30 seconds. It’d be a national emergency. That’s exactly what Joe Biden is doing this morning. Predictably, crickets.”
The White House has refused to allow Dr. O’Connor to directly take reporter questions on Biden’s recent experience with COVID-19. The lack of transparency drew objections from prominent veteran journalists who said that the lack of Q&A is a deviation from historical practice during a serious presidential illness.
Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on both Tuesday and Monday, the White House said.
At her regular briefing Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden was experiencing the “lingering effects of COVID” and added there was “no update needed” from Dr. O’Connor.
The existence of persisting symptoms — sometimes called “long COVID” — is more common among older people, with roughly one in four patients over age 65 experiencing longer-term symptoms, according to a May study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The American Lung Association says, however, that a lingering cough isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.
“The most common symptom that signifies healing is a lingering cough because coughing is your lung’s way of sweeping out dead cells,” the Lung Association says on an informational page. “In the case of COVID-19, this cough could last for as long as six months after the viral infection, especially if the patient contracted Omicron because it is more airway dependent than the original strain.”
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August 09, 2022 at 11:36PM
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Biden struggles with coughing fit during speech days after COVID recovery - New York Post
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