U.S. President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday “as could be anticipated,” his physician said in a memo released by the White House, adding that the president continued to feel well and would continue his isolation measures.
After having tested negative on Tuesday and Wednesday, Biden tested positive for COVID again on Saturday in what Dr. Kevin O’Connor described as a “rebound” case seen in a small percentage of patients who take the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Biden tested positive on Saturday, requiring him to cancel travel and in-person events as he isolates for at least five days in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Research suggests that a minority of those prescribed Paxlovid to experience a rebound case of the virus. The fact that a rebound rather than a reinfection possibly occurred is a positive sign for Biden’s health once he’s clear of the disease.
“The fact that the president has cleared his illness and doesn’t have symptoms is a good sign and makes it less likely he will develop long COVID,” said Dr. Albert Ho, an infectious disease specialist at Yale University’s school of public health.
(Reporting by Chris Gallagher and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)