Biden tests positive for COVID. It comes at an awkward time in his campaign

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President Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, 2024, en route to Delaware, after testing positive for COVID. / Getty Images

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President Biden tested positive for COVID on Wednesday while campaigning in Las Vegas, the White House said in a statement.

The news comes at a time in his campaign when many Democrats have raised questions about whether Biden, 81, still has what it takes to run for a second term.

A number of high-profile Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff of California on Wednesday, have called on him to withdraw from the race following a debate against former President Donald Trump where Biden badly stumbled.

Biden has insisted he is staying in the race, and has been vigorously campaigning since the June 27 debate.

On Tuesday, he spoke to the annual convention of the NAACP in Las Vegas, sat for an interview with BET News, and did another campaign event focused on issues for Black Americans.

Then on Wednesday, Biden did an interview with Univision Radio at a local restaurant. Biden’s doctor said in the statement that the president had “felt okay” for that event, despite cold symptoms.

Afterward, he tested positive for COVID with a rapid test, the White House said. His symptoms are mild, but he will return to Delaware to self-isolate.

Biden is taking Paxlovid, the White House said. He is expected to continue to carry out his duties while he is isolating.

Biden had been slated to give an address to UnidosUS. Janet Murguia, the president of the group, broke the news of Biden's diagnonis, telling the conference that she had just spoken to the president on the phone, and he had told her directly.

This is the president's second bout with the virus. He first got COVID on July 21, 2022, and experienced mild symptoms. He was treated with the Paxlovid antiviral, then experienced a rebound case of the virus on July 30 of that year.

Biden's advanced age has been a focus this year because voters have said they are concerned he is too old for the job.

Last fall, Biden's physician said in a memo that the president had received an updated COVID vaccine and a flu shot. Several weeks earlier, Biden was vaccinated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can be dangerous for seniors.