Barack Obama tests positive for COVID-19, former president confirms on Twitter
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on March 13, 2022
(NEW YORK) — Former President Barack Obama has tested positive for COVID-19, he tweeted on Sunday.
Obama said he is “feeling fine” other than a scratchy throat, reminding people to get vaccinated even as the number of cases in the U.S. goes down.
Former first lady Michelle Obama tested negative, he said.
The country’s death toll now stands at 965,000 lives lost. The U.S. national case total has also surpassed 79.4 million confirmed cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Nationwide, hospitalization rates continue to decline steadily.
On Thursday, for the first time since July, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 positive Americans fell below 30,000, according to federal data. This marks a more than 80% decline in the number of patients requiring care for the virus, since the nation’s peak, when 160,000 people were hospitalized about two months ago.
Former President Donald Trump was hospitalized in October 2020 after testing positive with COVID-19.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
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