Joe Biden, the Democrat presidential nominee, announced on Friday that he and his wife tested negative for the novel coronavirus, after attending the first general election debate this week with President Donald Trump, who is confirmed to have contracted the virus.
“I’m happy to report that Jill and I have tested negative for [coronavirus],” the former vice president wrote on social media. “Thank you to everyone for your messages of concern. I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
The announcement was accompanied by a statement by the Bidens’ personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, confirming that the former vice president and his wife did not test positive.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for [coronavirus] today and [coronavirus] was not detected,” O’Connor said. “I am reporting this out in my capacity as both Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden’s primary care physician.”
Biden’s announcement came after a hectic 24 hours in which Trump’s diagnosis upended the 2020 race. The president, who took part in the first general election debate with Biden earlier this week, tested positive for the virus on Thursday alongside first lady Melania Trump. On Friday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows announced that the president was showing mild symptoms of the virus, but would “remain on the job.”