Former US President Barack Obama tests positive for Covid-19

Former US President Barack Obama announced Sunday (13) that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

"I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise," he said on his official Twitter account. Obama also said that his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative.

Obama, 60, had recently returned to Washington, DC, after spending much of the winter in Hawaii. He tested positive in DC, a person close to him said.

The diagnosis makes Obama the second US President known to contract the virus after then-President Donald Trump announced he tested positive in October 2020, which was before vaccines were widely available in the US.

Obama has been a champion of public health measure throughout the pandemic. Last August, he dramatically scaled back his 60th birthday party on Martha's Vineyard due to concerns at the time over the Delta variant.

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