If US politics leading as much as the 2024 presidential election were a Hollywood thriller, this might be a movie filled with plot twists and surprises. The latest twist lies with President Joe Biden. COVID And isolated at home.
Biden's doctor says. Symptoms are mild and include a runny nose, cough and usually feeling unwell. His temperature, oxygen level and respiratory rate are reported to be normal.
Biden, who has A diagnosis has been made Twice before with COVID, has been received His COVID vaccine and booster shots, and he has taken his first dose of the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
There is little doubt that Biden will receive excellent medical care. Yet, as recent media coverage reminds us, he's 81 years old.
So let's see what it means for an 81-year-old man to have COVID in 2024. Of course, Biden isn't just any guy, but we'll get to that later.
Fortunately, it's not 2020.
If we were back in 2020, the diagnosis of covid at this age can be an enormous deal.
This was before the COVID vaccine, before specific COVID treatments and before we knew as much about COVID as we do today. At the time, being over 80 and infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID) was a big risk to your health.
It was very clear early within the pandemic that your possibilities of getting seriously unwell and dying increased with age. Early data suggests that for those who are over 80 and infected, you could have a few 15 percent probability of dying from the disease.
Also, if you could have a severe illness, we don't have much within the toolkit to deal together with your infection.
It ought to be remembered that the previous Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, went to the ICU resulting from his covid infection. April 2020Despite being 55 on the time. This is far younger than Biden's age.
Former US President Donald Trump also had what was believed to be. A very serious case of COVID in October 2020. He was 74 at the moment.
How things have modified.
So let's turn the clock to 2024. Loads has happened in 4 years.
COVID continues to be a disease of need. Taken seriously. And for some individuals with other health conditions (for instance, individuals with heart disease or diabetes) it's a better risk. And in fact we all know more in regards to the long-term effects of COVID.
But the chance to a person from COVID is far lower now than it was.
Most of us have some immunity.
first, most people There is now some immunity to COVID, whether it comes from vaccination or prior infection, and lots of to each.
The proven fact that your immune system has been exposed to the virus changes the way you react to the infection. Yes, there's an ongoing issue of immunity waning and the virus mutating over time which implies you wish regular booster shots. But as your immune system has “seen” the virus before it may possibly respond more effectively. This signifies that the chance of infection is significantly reduced.
We know Biden has gotten his booster shots. Boosters have been shown to supply substantial protection against severe illness and death and are particularly necessary for older age groups.
Now we've antiviruses.
Second, we even have antiviral drugs, similar to Paxlovid, which are effective in reducing the prospect of severe illness from COVID if taken soon after symptoms appear.
I A studyIf taken soon after infection, Paxlovid reduced the prospect of severe illness or death by 89%. So there it's Highly recommended For those at high risk of severe disease. As we all know, Biden is taking Paxlovid.
Paxlovid has also been related to rebound symptoms. This is when an individual appears to be recovering from an infection just for symptoms to reappear. Biden tested it in 2022.
The excellent news is that even when this happens generally, the symptoms related to reoccurrence are mild.
Biden could have the most effective care.
Another factor, in fact, is that Biden could have access to the most effective medical care on this planet.
If his symptoms develop into more severe or complications arise, you may make certain that he'll receive the most effective treatment possible.
So what's news about Biden's diagnosis? Well, given all of the speculation about his health. But as for Covid being a significant threat to Biden's health, there aren't any indications that it ought to be.