It’s a frickin’ cold.
It’s nothing like the common cold. It’s a completely different virus.
The announcement is Manchin getting some leftist credits by keeping the narrative going. He’s got to keep building the case that he’s a player in the Rat Prez nomination game. So, a little zig here a little zag there.
His viability for “the game” exists primarily in his head. However stranger things have happened.