President Biden’s Covid-19 symptoms improve, doctor says

White House seeks to project normalcy as the president remains in isolation after testing positive.

Joe Biden meets virtually with his economic team on Friday. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden’s symptoms had improved a day after testing positive for Covid-19, his doctor said, as the administration sought to project normalcy with the US President working in isolation from the residence at the White House.

Mr Biden on Friday afternoon (Saturday AEST) held a virtual meeting with his economic and energy advisers, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The President, wearing a shirt and jacket but no tie, said he was “feeling much better than I sound”. His voice was scratchy and he occasionally coughed to clear his throat. When asked how he felt, Mr Biden offered a thumbs-up.

In a letter released by the White House on Saturday, the President’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said Mr Biden’s symptoms continued to improve.

Dr O’Connor said Mr Biden’s primary symptoms were a runny nose, body aches, sore throat and a loose cough. His pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygen level and temperature were normal, and the President wasn’t experiencing shortness of breath.

He said preliminary laboratory testing indicates the President was infected with the BA.5 subvariant, now the dominant variant in the US BA.5 is more transmissible than other variants. Mr Biden would continue to isolate at the White House.

White House Covid-19 ­co-ordinator Ashish Jha said the White House has identified 17 people, including senior White House staff and members of congress, who were considered close contacts of Mr Biden’s. None of those individuals has so far tested positive for Covid-19.

Dr Jha said Mr Biden’s diagnosis was a reminder to Americans that they should get vaccinated, boosted and seek treatment for the virus if needed. “We are now at a point, I believe, where we can prevent nearly every Covid death in America,” he said.

The White House said Mr Biden has been working more than eight hours each day.

“He said his symptoms are very mild. He’s working unimpeded but of course he’s being careful. He wants to set a good example,” said former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, who spoke on Thursday night with Mr Biden. “He was in good spirits. I don’t think it’s going to slow him down hardly at all.”

First lady Jill Biden tested negative for Covid-19 on Friday in Wilmington, Delaware. A spokesman said she remained symptom free. Vice-President Kamala Harris, who has already suffered a bout of Covid-19, tested negative on Thursday.

Since announcing his diagnosis, the White House has stressed Mr Biden, 79, continues to carry out his duties. He tweeted Friday saying he had signed a bill a day earlier, including a photo of him signing the document at a desk, wearing a mask.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr Biden met virtually with his national security team on Friday, and his diagnosis has had “no impact whatsoever” on the processes. The White House said Thursday Mr Biden had tested positive that day. He began isolating at the White House residence and started taking Paxlovid. Officials said he would isolate for at least five days and only resume regular activities when he has a negative test.

Mr Biden travelled to the Middle East the week before last, shaking hands with officials in Israel and Saudi Arabia, including the kingdom’s 86-year-old leader, and hugging Holocaust survivors in Jerusalem. After he returned, he remained mostly in private meetings Monday and Tuesday but did greet Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, presenting her with flowers during her outdoor arrival.

Mr Biden has spent more time unmasked in large groups. White House officials acknowledged the events posed risks, but they argued it was important for him to project a sense of semi-normalcy as many Americans were opting to leave their homes, return to work and socialise. Officials said they are following Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

The Wall Street Journal