Barack Obama has tested positive for Covid-19.
“I just tested positive for Covid,” the former president, 60, said in a tweet on Sunday.
“I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative. It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down.”
Falling case rates in the US have triggered the relaxation of most public health measures imposed by cities, states and the federal government.
According to Johns Hopkins University, however, the US death toll from the two-year coronavirus pandemic stood on Sunday at a little over 967,000, from nearly 79.5m cases.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 77% of eligible Americans have received at least one vaccination shot. The fully vaccinated figure is 65% and 44% have had a booster shot.
Resistance to vaccination and other public health measures against Covid is higher in Republican-run states.
The Obamas have homes in Washington DC, Massachusetts and Hawaii, all with more than 70% of the eligible population considered fully protected.
Last August, however, Obama was forced to drastically scale back a 60th birthday party he planned to host on Martha’s Vineyard, an exclusive island off Massachusetts, amid criticism for planning a large social event at a time of surging cases.