CNN medical analyst raves over Biden video: 'This is what living with COVID looks like going forward'
Dr. Leana Wen previously praised the White House for being 'transparent' about Biden's COVID diagnosis
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen lavished praise on President Biden’s Twitter video disclosing his COVID status Thursday afternoon, saying it "strikes exactly the right tone."
On "CNN Newsroom With Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell," Wen appeared on a panel to discuss the video of Biden confirming he tested positive for the coronavirus as well as reassuring that he is okay.
The panel, including the hosts, largely approved of the video for pushing a casual perspective of the coronavirus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That’s a really casual approach. ‘Hey, folks, I guess you heard. Tested positive for COVID’," Blackwell joked.
President Biden released a photo of himself in the White House after testing positive for COVID-19, Thursday, July 21, 2022. (White House)
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"He’s trying to assuage any anxieties and he’s saying, ‘Look, it’s a beautiful day, I’m feeling fine.’ Right, Dr. Wen? Does anything raise concern when you see that video?" Camerota asked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No, I think this actually strikes exactly the right tone," Wen answered. "I think the message going forward should be, ‘Hey, getting COVID is something that happens to all of us. We may be getting this once a year or even more frequently, even despite having all these precautions, you could still get COVID just because of how much virus is around us, and how transmission transmissible it is.’
"I think it’s great that President Biden is continuing to work while this is happening. It’s business as usual. COVID is something that’s not stopping him," she said.
Dr. Leana Wen praised President Biden's Twitter video disclosing his positive COVID-19 test (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (Getty )
In a likely swipe at the Trump administration, she added, "And I also think this is an opportunity to show what honest, frank, transparent communication when it comes to a president’s diagnosis can and should look like. And in this case, I completely agree with that Sanjay said, given that he is vaccinated, double boosted, and also that he is taking Paxlovid, the antiviral treatment, the chance of him becoming severely ill is extremely low. So, this is what living with COVID looks like going forward."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN GUESTS PRAISE WHITE HOUSE’S ‘TRANSPARENCY’ ON BIDEN’S COVID DIAGNOSIS: ‘A TEACHING MOMENT’
Wen had previously appeared on CNN earlier that day similarly praising the administration's transparency while also remarking on the "big difference" with how the White House responded with President Biden as opposed under former President Trump.
"I commend the White House for being so transparent," Wen said earlier. "There’s certainly a big difference between how they’re responding now versus with former President Trump. In this case, I do expect that President Biden is going to make a full recovery, and that his symptoms are going to remain mild."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She also suggested this could be used as a "guidebook" on how to approach the coronavirus in the future.
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation's efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Wen has been previously criticized by both sides of the political aisle for her shifting positions on how to best handle the coronavirus pandemic. In Sept. 2021, she insisted that the country was "nowhere near" ready to allow kids to attend schools without masks. However, by February, she later claimed that the "science has changed" and praised Democrat leaders for dropping mask mandates.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.