Barack Obama announces positive test for Covid-19

Barack Obama has tested positive for Covid-19.

Related: How Covid shook the US: eight charts that capture the last two years

“I just tested positive for Covid,” the former president, 60, said in a tweet on Sunday.

“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.”

Falling case rates in the US have triggered the relaxation of most public health measures imposed by cities, states and the federal government.

There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when the average was closer to 800,000.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the US death toll from the two-year coronavirus pandemic stood on Sunday at a little over 967,000, from nearly 79.5m cases.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75.2% of US adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a booster.

The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking in late February, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.

Resistance to vaccination and other public health measures against Covid is higher in Republican-run states.

The Obamas have homes in Washington DC, Massachusetts and Hawaii, all with more than 70% of the eligible population considered fully protected.

Last August, however, Obama was forced to drastically scale back a 60th birthday party he planned to host on Martha’s Vineyard, an exclusive Massachusetts island, amid criticism for planning a large social event at a time of surging cases.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report