Joe Biden, the president, once more tests positive for COVID-19
Joe Biden, the president, once more tested positive for COVID-19. In a letter to the president, Dr. Kevin O’Connor acknowledged that “rebound” Covid-19 positive is “seen in a small number of patients treated with Paxlovid,” and that it likely occurred on Saturday morning.
Biden will not resume therapy since he has “no re-emergence of symptoms, and continues to feel fairly well,” according to the White House. Before testing positive on Saturday morning, according to O’Connor, the President had negative results on Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning, and Friday morning.
But the doctor added, “Given his positive antigen test, he will restart severe isolation procedures.” Following a series of negative antigen tests, Biden stopped isolating on Wednesday. He announced his return from the White House Rose Garden.
The President is not showing any symptoms, according to Biden’s doctor, but he will isolate in the White House. The White House announced on Saturday that he had cancelled trips to his Delaware home on Sunday and to Michigan, where he was scheduled to speak on Tuesday about the recently approved legislation intended to increase US semiconductor production.
Joe Biden posted on Twitter, “Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again.” This only occurs in a tiny percentage of people. Despite the fact that I have no symptoms, I will isolate myself to protect those around me. I’m still at work, but I’ll shortly be going back on the road.
Biden is “asymptomatic, feeling fine, and working in seclusion from the Residence to safeguard others,” according to Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary.
After Biden’s positive Covid-19 test on Saturday, a White House representative indicated contact tracing procedures were in progress.
Although he was observed wearing a mask more frequently, the President has resumed functions at the White House after testing negative this week. Officials from the White House claimed they made an effort to create social distance during the open gatherings he conducted there.
On July 21, Biden, 79, experienced his first positive test. His doctor reported that he had only mild symptoms during his initial illness, such as a runny nose, lethargy, high temperature, and a cough. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for Paxlovid, which needs a prescription from a doctor and is used to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 in people 12 and older who are at high risk of developing serious illness. The President finished a five-day course of it.
The White House reported that Biden had 17 close contacts when he initially tested positive last week, but none of them afterwards tested positive.
A White House representative informed CNN that First Lady Jill Biden is still in Delaware, where she has been since the President’s initial positive Covid-19 test. She hasn’t visited the White House again.
The president was supposed to travel to Wilmington on Sunday with the first lady along.
Returning cases
On May 24, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to physicians warning that Covid-19 symptoms might occasionally recur and that in certain cases, the infection may go unabated despite vaccination or drug treatment with Paxlovid. There have been no reports of any serious illnesses, according to the CDC, and the majority of rebound instances involve moderate illness.
Biden has received two booster injections and is completely immunized. Prior to his inauguration in January 2021, he received his first two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, as well as his first and second booster shots.
Based on reports of cases around the nation, White House officials had previously said a comeback case of Covid was unlikely. Biden was still being tested and watched, though.
In order to determine who is most at risk for rebound and whether the typical five-day course of therapy with the medicine should be extended to prevent it, infectious disease experts have been urging the government to investigate cases of it more thoroughly. Another reason to comprehend it better is that studies have revealed that individuals can spread the sickness to others during a rebound.
The manufacturer of Paxlovid, Pfizer, claims that studies demonstrate rebounds are uncommon and occur in both Paxlovid users and those who took a placebo. The business does not think the occurrence is related to the medication because investigators observed it in both groups.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also suffered a rebound COVID-19. After therapy, his symptoms came back worse, and his doctors recommended another Paxlovid course.
A new development has been added to this article.
CNN’s Kate Bennett, Brenda Goodman, Virginia Langmaid and Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.
Ellen Nimo
