A letter from White House doctor Dr. Kevin O’Connor says that President Joe Biden has again tested positive for COVID-19. He said that Biden has no symptoms right now.
O’Connor said that Biden’s antigen test came back positive late Saturday morning. On Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning, and Friday morning, he had tested negative.
“This is actually rebound positivity,” O’Connor wrote, referring to a COVID-19 relapse that some patients have after taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug for people with mild to moderate symptoms who are at a high risk of getting very sick.
Even though it is rare, some people who have finished a course of Paxlovid can test positive again. But doctors say that this doesn’t mean the drug isn’t working. Overall, patients at high risk who take Paxlovid still have a much lower chance of going to the hospital.
“The President’s symptoms haven’t come back, and he still feels pretty good,” O’Connor wrote. “Since this is the case, there is no reason to start treatment again right now. However, we will continue to keep a close eye on the patient.”
Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again.
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 Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2022
In a Saturday afternoon tweet, the president said that his test was positive and that he was going to start isolating people again.
“Only a small number of people do this,” he wrote. “Even though I don’t feel sick, I’m going to stay away from everyone for their safety. I’m still at work, but I’ll be back on the road soon.”
Before hearing that his COVID-19 test came back positive, Biden was planning to go to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday. This would have been his first trip since he was first diagnosed.
Biden was also supposed to go to Michigan on Tuesday to talk about the recently passed “Chips and Science” Act. This law provides billions of dollars in government subsidies for the U.S. production of semiconductors and computer chips that are used in everything from cars to medical devices.
“The President will stay in his room at the White House until he gets a clean test. As planned, the President will not go to Wilmington or Michigan “In a statement on Saturday, the White House said.
Biden is fully vaccinated and has had two booster shots, but at age 79, he is at a higher risk of getting a serious illness. Paxlovid is used to lower the risk of getting a serious illness in people who are at a high risk, such as those 65 and older or who already have health problems.
After taking Paxlovid, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the White House’s top doctor, also had a rebound case.
Fauci, who is 81, tested negative for three days in a row before he tested positive again. When his symptoms came back, which he said were “much worse than the first time,” he started a second round of Paxlovid.
In a tweet on Saturday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said that Biden has “no symptoms, feels fine, and is working in isolation from the [White House] Residence to protect others.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not suggest or recommend testing within 90 days of a positive case unless new symptoms appear.
The CDC has also noted that a COVID-19 rebound has been reported to happen between 2 and 8 days after the initial recovery. Before Biden got a positive result on the antigen test again, it was negative for three days.
It’s not clear if someone is contagious if their mood changes for the better. The CDC said that transmission of infection during COVID-19 rebound has been described, but “it remains unknown whether the likelihood of transmission during rebound differs from the likelihood of transmission during the initial infection.”
