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 to the White House on Thursday. a letter with the test results.
"This morning, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated, twice boosted and is 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 U.S. president has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, two and a half years into the pandemic and after he received all of his doses of the vaccine against the disease.
In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, Biden will be isolated at the White House and will continue to perform all of his duties during that time. "He has been in contact with White House staff members by phone this morning and will participate in his planned meetings by phone and Zoom from the residence."
Thus, in accordance with 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 a face-to-face manner.
Jean-Pierre detailed that "for the sake of great transparency, the White House will provide a daily update on the president's status as he continues to perform all the functions of the office while in isolation."
As per standard protocol for any positive case at the president's residence, the White House Medical Unit will brief all of the president's close contacts throughout the day today, including members of Congress and the press who interacted with him during yesterday's trip.
The president's last pre-test for COVID was on Tuesday, when he had a negative result.
It should be noted that, because of the president's age, the CDC specifies that this group of people need to have two doses of 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, an oral antiretroviral drug from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer - a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets - 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 of being hospitalized, such as unvaccinated, elderly or immunocompromised patients.
The drug is approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires a physician's prescription.
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