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In this file photo taken on Sept. 29, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
WILMINGTON, United States – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Friday that he tested negative for Covid-19, three days after his debate with Donald Trump, who contracted the disease.
The 77-year-old former vice president opted to keep a scheduled trip to Michigan, a key state on the battlefield in his campaign to oust the Republican incumbent.
Biden is currently leading Trump in opinion polls ahead of the Nov.3 election.
“I am pleased to report that Jill and I have tested negative for Covid,” Biden said. “I hope this serves as a reminder for you: put on a mask, keep your social distance, and wash your hands.”
Minutes earlier, his doctor Kevin O’Connor issued a statement through Biden’s campaign about the negative result.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for Covid-19 today and Covid-19 was not detected,” O’Connor said.
Trump’s positive diagnosis, announced in the early hours of Friday after one of his senior advisers, Hope Hicks, tested positive, has rocked the race for the White House with a month to go.
In Michigan, a Midwestern state that Trump won in 2016 when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, Biden would visit Grand Rapids, the state’s second-largest city, to talk about his economic revitalization plans.
Previously, he wished his 74-year-old adversary and his wife Melania a speedy recovery from Covid-19.
“Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a speedy recovery,” Biden tweeted.
“We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris posted a similar tweet, saying that she and her husband Doug are “keeping them and the entire Trump family in our thoughts.”
Vice President Mike Pence tested negative, his spokesman said Friday.
Biden and Trump met on the stage of the debate in Ohio on Tuesday.
All the assistants had tested negative before the debate. The Trump family arrived with masks, but then took them off, moderator Chris Wallace said.
It can take several days for a person infected with Covid-19 to test positive.
For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.
What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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