INFECTED: Barack Obama announces that he has contracted COVID

Former President Barrack Obama may have been following all the precautions to avoid becoming infected with the latest COVID-19 variant — masking, getting vaccinated, maintaining social distance, etc. — but even the most careful people somehow come down with the highly contagious Omicron version of the virus.

Obama announced on Twitter today that he had tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID and was experiencing mild symptoms in his throat, but was otherwise doing fine. He reassured the world that he had not passed the infection on to his wife, Michelle Obama who has thus far tested negative.

The former president used the announcement to remind the public to make sure that they had received their COVID vaccinations which, while not 100% effective in preventing people from contracting the virus, are highly effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths from the most severe cases of the disease.

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

Obama apparently contracted the virus after returning from a winter spent primarily in Hawaii to the Washington DC area where he received his positive diagnosis, according to what a family friend told CNN.

The former president’s announcement inspired a torrent of well-wishers to reply to his tweet with prayers for a speedy recovery.

Let’s hope that his illness is brief and inconsequential and that Obama’s message to those who have yet to get their first COVID vaccine shot makes an impact on the 19% of Americans over the age of five who still fall in that category.

Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.  

RELATED STORY: HORROR: Social media harshly condemns Trump calls for authoritarian powers if he’s re-elected