U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. July 20, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Saturday examined constructive for Covid-19 as soon as once more after consecutive days of testing unfavourable for the virus, his doctor mentioned.
Biden, 79, is experiencing no new signs and “continues to really feel fairly nicely,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor mentioned in a memo shared by the White House.
But he’ll nonetheless “reinitiate strict isolation procedures,” the presidential doctor wrote.
Biden, who’s totally vaccinated and has obtained two booster photographs of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, tweeted Saturday afternoon that he was asymptomatic however would isolate “for the security of everybody round me.”
“I’m nonetheless at work, and might be again on the highway quickly,” the president’s tweet mentioned.
O’Connor had beforehand warned of the potential for a “rebound” in constructive check outcomes, a phenomenon amongst a small share of sufferers who, like Biden, used the antiviral remedy Paxlovid as a part of their remedy.
Biden had accordingly “elevated his testing cadence, each to guard folks round him and to guarantee early detection of any return of viral replication,” O’Connor wrote within the newest memo, which was made public Saturday afternoon.
The president examined unfavourable for Covid on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, however examined constructive on Saturday morning from an antigen check. “This the truth is represents ‘rebound’ positivity,” the physician wrote.
Biden’s age places him at larger danger of getting severely in poor health from Covid. People over age 65 account for greater than 81% of deaths from the virus, which has killed greater than 1 million folks within the U.S. alone, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The president first examined constructive for Covid on July 21. He felt “gentle signs” together with a dry cough, runny nostril and fatigue, O’Connor mentioned on the time. Biden started working in isolation however returned to the Oval Office 5 days later after testing unfavourable for Covid twice over a 24-hour interval.
“The President has skilled no reemergence of signs, and continues to really feel fairly nicely,” O’Connor wrote in Saturday’s memo after Biden’s rebound check. “This being the case, there isn’t a cause to reinitiate remedy presently, however we’ll clearly proceed shut remark.”
“However, given his constructive antigen check, he’ll reinitiate strict isolation procedures. As I’ve said beforehand, the President continues to be very particularly conscientious to guard any of the Executive Residence, White House, Secret Service and different employees whose duties require any (albeit socially distanced) proximity to him,” O’Connor wrote.