President Biden tests positive for Covid-19 again

Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time and is returning to isolation, his White House doctor says.

US President Joe Biden has tested positive to Covid-19 for a second time. Picture: AFP

President Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again on Saturday morning in what his physician called a rebound case. Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter made public by the White House that Mr. Biden isn’t experiencing any symptoms and is feeling well.

Dr. O’Connor noted a small number of people who take the antiviral medication Paxlovid to treat Covid-19 sometimes test positive again for the virus in what public health officials call “rebound positivity.”

The president first tested positive for Covid-19 on July 21 and tested negative on July 26 and the following days, according to the White House. In his initial bout of Covid-19, Mr. Biden experienced mild symptoms, including a runny nose, fatigue and a dry cough.

Rebound among some Paxlovid users is now well known even if not well understood, according to physicians and published case reports. Health experts say they aren’t sure what causes patients to rebound, though they suggest it may be related to when Paxlovid was taken.

As a result of testing positive again on Saturday, Mr. Biden will isolate to avoid spreading the virus to others, Dr. O’Connor said. Because Mr. Biden isn’t experiencing symptoms this time, Dr. O’Connor said he won’t treat him with Paxlovid again at this time.

At 79 years old, Mr. Biden is the oldest person in U.S. history to assume the presidency. His advanced age puts him at higher risk for complications from Covid-19, according to public health officials. The president’s up-to-date vaccination status means he is at low risk for a severe case of Covid-19, infectious-disease specialists said.

The president received both doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE before taking office. Mr. Biden received a Pfizer/BioNTech booster shot on Sept. 27, 2021. He received another shot on March 30, after federal regulators approved a second booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for adults 50 and older.

The president has been scheduled to travel in the coming days, including to Michigan on Tuesday. His travel will likely be canceled because of his diagnosis.

During his first bout of Covid-19, Mr. Biden continued performing most of his presidential duties while he was isolating.

The Wall Street Journal