Doctors declared Biden “fit for duty”

Doctors declared 80-year-old U.S. President Joe Biden healthy and “fit for duty” after a physical exam in which he had a small skin growth removed from his chest. Doctors said the president has no symptoms of the so-called “long covid,” which often affects patients who have undergone COVID-19.

Biden contracted the coronavirus infection last year.

“The president remains fit for duty and is fully performing all of his duties without any exceptions or indulgences,” White House physician Kevin O’Connor indicated in a medical report.

The results of the president’s medical examination have received the most attention since Biden is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election soon. The doctor’s report also reported that his somewhat stiff gait has not worsened since his last examination in November 2021.

Biden himself said the physical went well. “It really went well. Thank God for little mercies.”

The physical at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington was the president’s second extensive checkup since taking office in January 2021.

Biden takes the statin Crestor to keep his cholesterol low, an anticoagulant for asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, and medication for seasonal allergies and heartburn, the doctor’s report said.

A “small mass was removed from the president’s chest today using liquid nitrogen and sent for biopsy,” O’Connor said.

Biden’s weight has dropped 2.7 pounds, from 83 pounds in November 2021 to 80.7 pounds today. His body mass index dropped from 25 to 24.1, and his blood pressure rose slightly, from 120/70 to 126/78.

Asked about concerns about Biden’s age, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters, “This is a president who works day in and day out in a grueling fashion with a grueling schedule and gets results.”

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Feb. 6-13, about three-quarters of Americans, including more than half of Democrats and an overwhelming majority of Republicans, believe Biden is too old for the job of head of state. A majority of Democratic respondents said the president remains mentally resilient, but about half believe he cannot handle the physical challenges that all heads of state face.

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