On Thursday morning, President Joseph Biden tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said in a statement, after the president's physician, Kevin C. O'Connor, sent a letter with the test results.
"This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated, twice boosted, and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
This would be the first time that the 79-year-old US president has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, two and a half years into the pandemic and after receiving all his doses of the vaccine against the disease.
In accordance with CDC guidelines, Biden will self-isolate at the White House and continue to perform all of his duties during that time. “He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning and will participate in his planned meetings by phone and Zoom from the residence.”
Thus, in accordance with the White House protocol for positive COVID cases, which goes beyond CDC guidance, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative. Once the results indicate that he no longer has the disease, he will return to his activities in person.
Jean-Pierre detailed that “in the spirit of transparency, the White House will provide a daily update on the President’s status as he continues to perform all duties of the office while in isolation.”
As per standard protocol for any positive case in the President's residence, the White House Medical Unit will inform all of the President's close contacts throughout the day, including members of Congress and the press who interacted with him during yesterday's trip.
The president's last previous test for COVID was on Tuesday, when he had a negative result.
It is worth noting that, due to the president's age, the CDC specifies that this group of people need to have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and two boosters, to prevent the disease from becoming complicated and causing severe symptoms, hospitalization and/or death.
Regarding the treatment that the president is already taking, Paxlovid is an oral antiretroviral drug from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer ‒ a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets ‒ that is strongly recommended for patients with non-severe forms of COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe forms of the disease and being hospitalized, such as unvaccinated, elderly, or immunosuppressed patients.
The drug has emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires a prescription.
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