In a statement, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said Biden, who is tested for Covid-19 on a regular basis, tested positive on Thursday morning. He added that the president, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two booster shots, has “very mild symptoms” that are being treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. Ms Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden would follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines by isolating at the White House while carrying out “all of his duties in full during this period”. “He was on the phone with members of the White House staff this morning and will participate in his scheduled White House meetings this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” he said. “In accordance with the White House’s protocol for positive Covid cases, which exceeds CDC guidelines, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative.” Ms Jean-Pierre said the White House would provide daily updates on Mr Biden’s condition “out of an abundance of transparency”, although she stressed he was continuing to “fully carry out the duties of the office” despite being in isolation. During a White House briefing, Ms Jean-Pierre said she was not sure where Mr Biden contracted Covid, adding “I don’t think that matters”. Speaking to reporters in Detroit, Michigan, first lady Jill Biden said she spoke with her husband shortly after his positive test became public. “He’s doing well,” she said. “It feels good.” Since Mr. Biden took office in January 2021, the possibility of him contracting Covid-19 has been a major concern of his advisers, who until recently went to great lengths to limit his contact with large crowds. At 79, Biden is the oldest person to be sworn in for a first term as president and is at high risk of serious complications from the virus. But White House officials said Biden is well protected by the vaccine and booster doses he has received since shortly before taking office. Mr Biden’s positive test comes amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases due to new variants and sub-variants of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, which doctors say are far more contagious than previous iterations and more easily evade immunity. from its vaccines and boosters. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reacted to Biden’s positive test by telling reporters, “I hope he gets well soon and doesn’t have any trouble getting over it.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference that she understood Biden’s symptoms to be “mild.” “I hope they continue to be like this. That was my experience,” he said. In a memo distributed by Ms. Jean-Pierre’s office, the president’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, said that Biden had been “experiencing mild symptoms, primarily rhinorrhea (or runny nose) and fatigue, with an occasional dry cough” since the afternoon of Wednesday. Dr O’Connor said he expected the “fully vaccinated and doubly boosted” president “will respond positively” to the antiviral treatment Paxlovid, “as most patients do with maximum protection” and said the timely use of the antiviral drug provides ” additional protection against serious diseases’.
