COVID-19 symptoms left President Joe Biden with a raspy voice and cough as he met Friday via videoconference with his top economic team. But the president tried to strike a reassuring tone, declaring, “I feel much better than I sound.” Later Friday, White House officials told reporters that Biden was working more than eight hours a day. His appetite hadn’t diminished — with Biden showing off an empty plate with some crumbs when speaking with his advisers — and he signed bills into law and took part in his daily intelligence briefings, albeit via phone. “He’s still doing the job of the president,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “That does not end.” It was all part of a diligently choreographed effort by the administration to depict a commander-in-chief who had not relinquished his day job, despite testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday and being sent into isolation at the White House residence. Also read: Biden tests positive for COVID-19, has 'mild symptoms' As he beamed into a virtual meeting from the Treaty Room, Biden took off a mask and sipped water as he began discussing the decline in gas prices in recent weeks. Reporters were allowed to view a few minutes of the proceedings and, when they asked how Biden was feeling, he flashed a thumb’s up — although he was audibly hoarse and coughed a handful of times. The president’s doctors said his mild COVID symptoms were improving and he was responding well to treatment, as the White House worked to portray the image of a president still on the job despite his illness. Biden received his presidential daily security briefing via a secured phone call while, separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping wished Biden a “speedy recovery.” Biden had an elevated temperature of 99.4 F on Thursday, but that went down with Tylenol, according to a new note from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s personal physician. Biden also used an inhaler a few times but hasn’t experienced shortness of breath. The president completed his first full day of Paxlovid, the antiviral therapy treatment meant to reduce the severity of COVID, and Biden’s primary symptoms were a runny nose, fatigue and a loose cough. Other metrics, such as pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were normal, O’Connor said, although the White House did not release specific figures and did not commit to doing so.  “The president right now feels well enough to continue working, and he has continued to work at a brisk pace,” White House COVID-⁠19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told reporters. Jha said Biden will remain in isolation in the White House living quarters for five days and then be tested anew. He plans to return to in-person work once he tests negative. As he works in isolation, the number of aides around Biden has been reduced to a “very, very small footprint,” Jean-Pierre said — including a videographer and photographer who captured the images of Biden in the residence. Once Biden tested positive Thursday — after more than two years of successfully dodging the virus — the White House sprang into action, aiming to dispel any notion of a crisis and to turn his diagnosis into what Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain said he hoped would be a “teachable moment.” The White House released a photo Friday of Biden, masked and tieless, in the Treaty Room of the president’s residence, on the phone with his national security advisers. After the economic team meeting, he participated in a separate discussion with senior White House advisers to discuss legislative priorities. Jha said his hoarse voice might actually be a sign that he is improving rather than the alternative. Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre said 17 people were determined to have been in close contact with Biden when he might have been contagious, including members of his senior staff and at least one member of Congress. None have tested positive so far, she said. One of Biden’s close contacts was first lady Jill Biden. Her spokesman Michael LaRosa said she tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday morning in Wilmington, Delaware, and hasn’t shown any symptoms. LaRosa said she’s spoken to the president “multiple times” as he remains in isolation. Another close contact was Vice President Kamala Harris, who participated in a National Urban League luncheon Friday and was spotted hugging participants, although during the event, she was seated more than six feet from others. She was masked as she headed onto the stage but took it off during the luncheon. The administration is trying to shift the narrative from a health scare to a display of Biden as the personification of the idea that most Americans can get COVID and recover without too much suffering and disruption if they’ve gotten their shots and taken other important steps to protect themselves. Jha said, “This virus is going to be with us forever,” as he echoed Biden’s message that Americans get vaccinated and boosted. The overall message was crafted to alleviate voters’ concerns about Biden’s health — at 79, he’s the oldest person ever to be president.   Jha said Friday that it’ll likely take until next week for sequencing to determine which variant of the virus Biden contracted. Omicron’s highly contagious BA.5 substrain is responsible for 78% of new COVID-19 infections reported in the U.S. last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest data released Tuesday. Jean-Pierre has repeatedly bristled at suggestions the Biden administration wasn’t being much more forthcoming with information about the president’s illness than that of his predecessor, Donald Trump. The former president contracted COVID-19 in the fall of 2020, before vaccines were available, and was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three nights. Still, the White House has declined to make O’Connor directly available to reporters, despite repeated requests.

Two girl students -- both cousins -- of a government school in Kushtia have tested positive for Covid. The IX and X graders of Khoksa Janipur Pilot Girls' School in Kushtia Sadar underwent Covid-19 tests on Saturday after they showed symptoms of the virus -- fever and sore throat. The results came a day later. Read: Five girl students contract Covid in Thakurgaon school Headmistress Salma Khatun said that the two girl students -- both cousins -- probably contracted coronavirus at home as some of their family members "are down with Covid". "All students of our school may have to undergo tests for Covid," she told UNB. Akmal Hossain, the guardian of the ninth grader, also admitted that six members of their family are Covid-positive. Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Kamruzzaman said that they can arrange Covid tests for free if the school authorities want the same for their students. Read: Schoolgirl dies with Covid symtomps in Manikganj Upazila Secondary Education Officer Nazmul Haque said that the information has been conveyed to the Health Ministry in Dhaka. On September 22, within two weeks of the reopening of schools in the country, a primary school in Gopalganj’s Kathalipara upazila closed its doors for class three students after one of their classmates tested positive for Covid-19. A day later in Manikganj, an eighth-grader, who had been suffering from suspected Covid symptoms of fever, sore throat and shortness of breath, died. Read: Class postponed as student gets Covid in Gopalganj On September 24, it was reported that five students of classes IV and V at a primary school in Thakurgaon sadar upazila tested positive for Covid. On September 12, after nearly 18 months, primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in Bangladesh reopened with some Covid-safety protocols in place.

Seven more people have died of Covid-19 at Kushtia General Hospital in the past 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday morning. Covid fatalities in the district was just one the previous day, which gave hope to its residents that the worst was over. Read: Mentally disturbed woman drowns baby in Kushtia, held Besides, 45 people emerged positive for Covid in the district during this period, after 259 samples were tested. The positivity rate currently stands at 17.37%. Statistics officer of Kushtia General Hospital Md Mejbaul Alam said that a total of 80 people with Covid symptoms are currently undergoing treatment at the leading medical facility. The number is significantly low compared to that of July and the better part of August when almost all the 250 beds of the hospital used to be occupied with Covid patients. Read: Eight more die of Covid in Kushtia So far, 17,688 people have been infected with the virus in the district, while the death toll reached 724 on Tuesday. On the other hand, 12,308 people have recovered from Covid to date.

Ten more people have died of Covid-19 and related complications at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Tuesday. Four of them died of Covid, while five had symptoms of the virus and the remaining one succumbed to post-corona complications, said hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani. Read:Covid: 11 more die at Rajshahi hospital Of the deceased, three were from Rajshahi, two each from Chapainawabganj, Pabna and Natore districts, and one from Naogaon district. Besides, 25 people have been admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, some 23 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery during the period. Read:21 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital Currently, 289 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital, which has 513 beds. Of them, 19 are being treated in the ICU, said the hospital director. RMCH has been one of the most stretched hospitals in the country during the second wave of Covid-19, particularly since the latter part of May when the deadly Delta variant was identified in multiple samples in Rajshahi division. 

Barishal division has logged 14 new Covid deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Sunday morning. Of the deceased, five were confirmed Covid patients while the remaining six showed symptoms of the virus. Read: Covid: Barishal sees 11 more deaths Among them, 10 died at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH), the officials said. Divisional Health Director Dr Basudev Kumar Das said that 595 patients have died of Covid-19 in the division so far. Besides, 393 people have tested positive for Covid in Barishal division in the past 24 hours, he said. Read: Barishal logs 21 fresh Covid deaths Some 41,155 active Covid patients have been identified in the division to date, according to the officials. Moreover, 166 Covid patients are currently undergoing treatment at the corona unit of SBMCH.

Nine more people have died of Covid-19 and related complications at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday. Five of them died of Covid-19, while three had symptoms of the virus and the remaining one succumbed to post-corona complications, said hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani. Read:21 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital Of the deceased, two each were from Natore and Pabna, and one each from Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj and Kushtia districts. Besides, 37 people have been admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, some 49 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery during the period. Currently, 342 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital which has 513 beds. Of them, 20 are being treated in the ICU, said the hospital director. Read:Covid: 10 more people die in Rajshahi Of the admitted patients, 180 have tested positive for Covid-19, while 97 are with symptoms and 65 have post-Covid health complications.

Barishal division has logged 13 new Covid deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Wednesday morning. Of the deceased, six had tested positive for Covid-19 while the remaining seven showed symptoms of the virus infection. Read:Covid: 10 more people die in Rajshahi Ten of them died at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) while the others died in different hospitals, the officials said. Divisional Health Director Dr Basudev Kumar Das said that 569 patients have died of Covid-19 so far in the division. Besides, 389 people have tested positive for Covid in Barishal division in the past 24 hours. Of them, 152 are from Barishal district alone. So far, 16,323 people have been infected in the district. Read:Covid-19: Vaccination campaign begins at Rohingya camps On the other hand, some 39,742 active Covid patients have been identified in the division to date, the officials said. According to SBMCH authorities, 210 Covid patients are currently undergoing treatment at SBMCH and of them, 64 are confirmed cases.

Ten more people have died of Covid-19 and related complications at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Wednesday. Three of them died of Covid, while four had symptoms of the virus and the remaining three succumbed to post-corona complications, said hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani. Read: 21 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital Of the deceased, two each were from Rajshahi, Naogaon and Natore districts, three from Pabna and one from Chapainawabganj district. Besides, 29 people have been admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, some 37 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery during the period. Read:19 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital Currently, 363 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital, which has 513 beds. Of them, 20 are being treated in the ICU, said the hospital director. RMCH has been one of the most stretched hospitals in the country during the second wave of Covid-19, particularly since the latter part of May when the deadly Delta variant was identified in multiple samples in Rajshahi division. 

Twenty-one more people have died of Covid-19 and related complications at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Tuesday. Five of them died of Covid-19, while 14 had symptoms of the virus and the remaining two succumbed to post-corona complications, said hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yazdani. Read: 15 more die of Covid at Rajshahi hospital Of the deceased, 10 were from Rajshahi district, four each from Naogaon and Pabna, two from Chapainawabganj, and one from Natore district. Besides, 43 people have been admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, some 44 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery during the period. Read: Rajshahi hospital logs 14 Covid deaths in 24 hours Currently, 380 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital which has 513 beds. Of them, 20 are being treated in the ICU, said the hospital director. Of the admitted patients, 197 have tested positive for Covid-19, while 115 are with symptoms and 68 have post-Covid health complications.

Barishal division has logged 17 new Covid deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Tuesday morning. Of the deceased, 10 had tested positive for Covid-19 while the remaining seven showed symptoms of the virus infection. Read:Barishal sanctions separate Covid unit for pregnant women Seven of them died at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) while the others in different hospitals, the officials said. Divisional Health Director Dr Basudev Kumar Das said that 563 patients have died of Covid-19 so far in the division. Besides, 669 people have tested positive for Covid in Barishal division in the past 24 hours and of them, 305 are from Barishal district alone. Some 39,353 active Covid patients have been identified in the division to date, according to the officials. Read:Covid: Barishal division logs 20 more deaths According to SBMCH authorities, 29 more patients have been admitted to the hospital in 24 hours till Tuesday morning. Moreover, 215 Covid patients are currently undergoing treatment at SBMCH and of them, 69 are confirmed cases.