US President Joe Biden fit for duty, at 80: White House doctor
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New York: White House physician Kevin O'Connor said President Joe Biden, 80, is healthy and "fit for duty" after a physical examination on Thursday.
Exam included removing a lesion from his chest which was sent for traditional biopsy and results are pending, according to Reuters.
The summary of the exam, which was closely watched as Biden gets ready for a second term in 2024, said Biden did not have any "long COVID" symptoms from last year’s bout.
The summary did not say if Biden had taken any cognitive tests to assess his mental abilities.
Biden’s three-hour long second exam since taking office in January 2021 was held at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
"Everything really went well... Thank God for small favors," he told NBC News after the medical exam.
O'Connor linked Biden's stiff gait to significant spinal arthritis, which has not worsened since his last exam in November 2021.
President’s medical exam comes as three-quarters of Americans believe Biden is too old to lead the nation, said a polls by Reuters/Ipsos in February.
Democrats responded to the poll said the president is still mentally sharp but a half of them thought he would not be able to handle ‘physical toll of the presidency’.
Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as U.S. president, shied away from answering questions about his age.
But voters who responded to the survey said they have concerns about his ability to serve four more years in the office.
