President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again on Saturday, three days after a negative test allowed him to resume work as usual from the Oval Office.
The presidential physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a memo that the antigen test represents a “rebound” case of the coronavirus. He attributed it to the Paxlovid treatment Biden was prescribed; the pills are supposed to lower the possibility of requiring hospitalization for high-risk COVID-19 patients.
“This happens with a small minority of parents,” Biden said in a tweet, adding that he has no symptoms but plans to isolate himself within the White House residence.
Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again.
This happens with a small minority of parents.
I’ve got no symptoms but I’m going to isolate for the security of everyone around me.
I’m still at work, and will probably be back on the road soon.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2022
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added that the president was “feeling effective.”
O’Connor stated that “there isn’t any reason to reinitiate treatment presently, but we’ll obviously proceed close remark.” His office will provide updates as needed, he wrote.
The White House announced that Biden, who’s fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots, initially got here down with the virus on Thursday, July 21, experiencing “very mild” symptoms.
Pfizer received an emergency use authorization for its Paxlovid treatment in December, with the Food and Drug Administration permitting its use in patients age 12 and up who weigh at the least 88 kilos. Clinical trials showed that the drug reduced the chance of hospitalization and death by 89%, but it surely should be taken inside five days of developing symptoms.
A dose of the drug is available in the shape of three pills: Two are nirmatrelvir, which inhibits viral replication, and one is ritonavir, which helps the nirmatrelvir work for an extended time period.
Given the possibility of “so-called rebound COVID positivity observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid,” O’Connor said, “the president increased his testing cadence, each to guard people around him and to guarantee early detection of any return of viral replication.”
O’Connor added: “After testing negative on Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning, the president tested positive late Saturday morning by antigen testing.”
Biden’s Sunday trip to Delaware and a visit next week to Michigan, planned to advertise the CHIPS Act, have each been canceled.
