President Joe Biden tested positive again for COVID-19, according to his doctor, despite testing consistently negative for days.
What happened
On Saturday morning, Dr. Kevin O’Connor sent a letter explaining that Biden has tested positive, which he says is “a rebound COVID-19 positivity,” which the doctor says is “observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid.”
The White House says Biden “has had no recurrence of symptoms and is feeling reasonably well.”
As a result, Joe Biden will not resume treatment.
Prior tests
Since contracting COVID-19, Biden has undergone further testing to monitor his recovery.
Doctor O’Connor said the president had tested negative for four consecutive days – from Tuesday evening to Friday morning.
Biden tested positive on Saturday morning.
“However, given his positive antigen test, he will reinstate strict isolation procedures,” Dr. O’Connor shared.
On Wednesday, Biden ended solitary confinement after testing negative in back-to-back antigen tests and returned in remarks from the White House Rose Garden.
Although there are no symptoms, Dr. O’Connor said, Biden will self-isolate at the White House.
Saturday
“Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again,” wrote Biden on Twitter.
“This happens with a small minority of folks. I’ve got no symptoms but I am going to isolate for the safety of everyone around me.”
“I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon.”
President Joe Biden has canceled plans to travel to Delaware on Sunday and Michigan on Tuesday to support a recently passed bill aimed at boosting US semiconductor production.
The White House
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote that Biden was asymptomatic and “feels well and works isolated from the Residence to protect others.”
Another White House official said contact tracing efforts were underway on Saturday after Biden tested positive.
Last week, the President resumed White House events after testing negative, but continued to regularly wear a mask.
White House officials said they are working hard to ensure social distancing is maintained at public events at the White House.
First positive testing
President Joe Biden first tested positive on July 21 and experienced mild symptoms of COVID-19, including a runny nose, fatigue, high fever, and cough.
Biden, 79, took a five-day course from Paxlovid, which requires a medical subscription.
Paxlovid is also available through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for the treatment of mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.
It is used for people 12 years of age and older who are at high risk of serious illness.
During the first positive test, the White House said it had 17 close contacts, but none of them tested positive.
First Lady Jill Biden has been in Delaware since the first test result. She hasn’t returned to the White House yet.
However, Jill Biden is expected to join him on his trip to Wilmington on Sunday.
Rebound cases
On May 24, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health warning warning doctors that symptoms could recur, noting that in some people the infection may simply run its course, whether vaccinated or under therapy. how to treat paxlovid.
The CDC said the majority of rebound cases involve mild illness, but no cases of severe illness have been reported.
President Joe Biden was fully vaccinated and had boosters of him in late 2021.
Infectious disease experts have urged the government to investigate rebound cases more systematically.
They pointed out that the phenomenon needs to be better characterized to understand who is most at risk and whether the standard five-day course of the drug should be extended.
Studies also show that people can pass the infection on to others when rebounding, simply boosting their reputation for understanding them better.
References:
US President Joe Biden tests positive for COVID after ‘rebound’ infection
