Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Saturday, July 30, without experiencing symptoms, and will return to isolation to “protect” those around him, his physician announced in a letter released by the White House.
President Joe Biden, soon to be a senior citizen, “tested positive late Saturday morning, July 30, according to an antigen test” and “will return to strict containment measures,” wrote Dr. Kevin O’Connor. The latter said cases of “rebound” positivity can occur in people treated with Paxlovid, Pfizer’s anti-COVID pill.
The president himself tweeted to announce the news. Folks, I’ve tested positive for COVID again. This happens to a small minority of people. I have no symptoms but will isolate myself for the safety of everyone around me,” he wrote.
“I am still working and will be back on the road soon,” said the man who was scheduled to travel to Michigan on August 2 to speak on a bill releasing $52 billion in subsidies to boost semiconductor production in the United States.
This trip – as well as another one to Wilmington, Delaware – will not take place for the time being, the U.S. executive said, and the president will remain in isolation at the White House until he tests negative.
Because Biden had tested negative on Tuesday night, July 26, Wednesday morning, July 27, Thursday morning, July 28, and Friday morning, July 29, “this is a rebound positivity,” according to Biden’s physician.
“The president has not felt any resurgence of symptoms and continues to feel quite well,” he added. “So there is no reason to resume treatment at this point,” but Biden, the oldest president ever elected to the United States, will remain under observation, he continued.
The president, Mr. Biden, had tested positive on July 21 with “very mild symptoms” and was released from confinement on Wednesday, July 27, after testing negative.
Joe Biden, fully vaccinated and who received two booster doses, wants to “protect all those (…) who must work near him”, whether it is the White House staff, his bodyguards or his entourage, concluded Dr. O’Connor.
Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment that decreases the virus’s ability to replicate itself, thus slowing the progression of the disease. It must be taken within the first few days of the onset of symptoms to be effective.
It is recommended in the United States for people at risk of developing a severe case of the disease, a category into which the U.S. President falls because of his age.
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