WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden twice tested negative for COVID-19, ending his isolation six days later your positive test from July 21.
The president remains “fever free,” Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a letter Wednesday, and his symptoms are “steadily improving and almost completely resolved.” He said that Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning.
“Given these reassuring factors, the president will discontinue his strict isolation measures,” O’Connor said.
In a last-minute update to the White House schedule, Biden will deliver remarks from the Rose Garden at 11:30 am ET.
Biden had continued to work, stay isolated in the white house until your negative test. Biden finished a five-day, 36-hour Paxlovid course, O’Connor said.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people who have tested positive can go out in public after five days if they wear a properly fitting mask, regardless of the test result.
The White House took the additional step of waiting until Biden received a negative antigen test result.
During his isolation, the White House provided daily updates on Biden’s condition.
Biden tested positive long after many top advisers, cabinet members, the vice president and even his top medical adviser were infected with COVID.
Officials said they knew Biden could also test positive and had a plan in place to deal with that.
She was put on Paxlovid, a home antiviral therapy for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Biden, 79, was at risk because of her age.
Some people who have received Paxlovid have had rebound infections, which can occur as soon as a few days after the test is negative.
In the small proportion of Paxlovid patients whose infections return, they do not get sick enough to require hospitalization, according to COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha.
Contact Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden tests negative for COVID, can stop isolation