President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid again on Saturday morning in a “rebound” case after testing negative several days in a row, his doctor said in a statement. letter.
“After testing negative on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning, the President tested positive on Saturday morning using an antigen test. In fact, this represents ‘rebound’ positivity,” White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote.
Biden, 79, has not experienced any resurgence of symptoms and continues to feel fine, O’Connor said. “This being the case, there is no reason to restart treatment at this time, but obviously we will continue to closely observe.”
However, he will return to strict isolation procedures, the doctor added.
A White House official said they are in the process of contact tracing to determine close contacts.
Vice President Kamala Harris is not considered a close contact and tested negative for Covid-19 on Friday, according to her press secretary, Kirsten Allen.
Biden, who is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, tested positive for Covid on July 21 during a routine test and was treated with the antiviral Paxlovid.
A small minority of people taking Paxlovid see a rebound effect. About 1% to 2% of people taking Paxlovid in Pfizer clinical trial tested positive for the coronavirus after previously testing negative. Rebound rates are around 5% among the tens of thousands of people who have taken the drug in real-life settings, White House Covid response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said at a news conference. recent press.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of possible recurrence in Mayand said people who test positive again may still be contagious and should re-isolate for at least five days.
“Friends, today I tested positive for COVID again. This happens with a small minority of people,” the president tweeted on Saturday. “I have no symptoms, but I am going to self-isolate for the safety of everyone around me. I am still at work and will be back on the road soon.”
He came out of isolation on Wednesday after five days. At the time, O’Connor said his symptoms had almost completely resolved.
Biden delivered remarks Thursday in the State Dining Room and participated in a roundtable discussion with officials and some CEOs. She did not wear a face mask at any of the events.
A White House official said Saturday that Biden would wear a mask around others through the 10th, in accordance with CDC guidance.
“When he was on a podium or in a similar circumstance, we made sure there was enough distance between him and others to allow him to safely remove his mask,” the official said. “He was at a safe distance from others at those events.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s top medical adviser, who had covid in juneHe also said that it happened by rebound from Paxlovid.