BIDEN TEST NEGATIVE COVID-19

Biden tests negative after White House press secretary contracts COVID-19

U.S. President Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID-19, after White House press secretary Jen Psaki contracted the disease.

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Scotland on Monday morning that Biden took a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test on Sunday, which came back negative. A negative PCR test was required for entry to the United Kingdom.

Psaki, who is fully vaccinated, revealed in a statement on Sunday evening that she tested positive for COVID-19 and has been experiencing "mild symptoms." She said she chose not to travel with Biden to the Group of 20 summit in Rome after members of her household tested positive last week. Jean-Pierre has instead accompanied the president on his high-stakes trip overseas.

Psaki said she quarantined and tested negative on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; but on Sunday, she tested positive.

Biden will arrive in Glasgow on Monday for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26.

Nov 01, 5:35 am Global death toll from COVID-19 tops 5 million The worldwide number of people who have died from COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Monday, less than two years after the pandemic began. The global death toll from the disease now stands at 5,000,425, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The staggering figure is believed to be an undercount due to limitations in testing and record-keeping, especially in poor countries like India. Nevertheless, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death globally, after ischemic heart disease and stroke. The United States alone has recorded 745,836 fatalities, the highest of any country. Brazil and India are not far behind with tallies at 607,824 and 458,437, respectively, according to Johns Hopkins data.