Former President Barack Obama has revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19.
“I just tested positive for COVID,” he wrote in a March 13 tweet. “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.”
I just tested positive for COVID. 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.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 13, 2022
The news comes as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year. Obama is the second president to get a positive COVID diagnosis, after Donald Trump’s very public battle with the virus in October 2020.
In the years since he left office, Obama has discussed COVID management via social media and at speaking engagements, including a notable Jun. 7, 2020 virtual graduation ceremony on YouTube called “Dear Class of 2020.” During the speech, he talked about being aware of COVID-19 misinformation.
“Usually the people who are peddling falsehoods on the internet or social media are doing so for their own purposes: Either to sell you something or to distract you from the real issues that matter,” he said. “You can change that. If a friend tells you COVID-19 is a hoax, politely correct them. If an older relative cites some video to promote a racist stereotype, show him or her why that video is a sham. As a generation that understands social media and technology a lot better than anyone, it’s going to be up to you to create online cultures and communities that respect differences of opinion and freedom of speech, and also restore the kind of honest, informed, fact-based debate that is the stating point for tackling the challenges we face.”
