Biden still tests POSITIVE for coronavirus, his doctor says, after the president returned to work less than a week after the initial diagnosis before a relapse
- President Joe Biden still tests positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday
- Comes after a rebound case on Saturday following a negative test last week
- Biden returned to work in person after testing negative and after a week of isolation following the first positive test 10 days ago
President Joe Biden “unsurprisingly” tested positive for COVID-19 again on Sunday after his case recovered over the weekend.
White House Physician Kevin O’Connor’s update claims Biden is feeling fine and has not identified any changes, continuation, emergence or presence of symptoms related to his coronavirus case.
Biden tested positive again for COVID-19 on Saturday after testing twice and negative on Wednesday, returning to personal work after less than a week of isolation and working from the White House residence.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that an asymptomatic person can exit isolation five days after initial diagnosis.
It’s not clear if there are any treatments, O’Connor has only noted that he will continue to monitor the condition and report it to the White House.
President Joe Biden still tests positive for COVID-19, the White House physician said Sunday
Biden released a 12-second video from residence Saturday after his doctor uncovered the rebound case to give a “quick update” and his work-from-home situation on the balcony overlooking the South Lawn to show. His German shepherd, Commander, lolled beside him.
“Hey guys, Joe Biden here,” says the President in the video. ‘Tested positive this morning. Will be working from home for the next few days. And I’m fine too, everything’s fine. But Commander and I have some work to do.”
In a memo released Saturday, Dr. O’Connor says the president has no new symptoms and “remains feeling quite well.”
Biden issued a “quick update” in the form of a video posted to Twitter, in which he confirmed the positive rebound test and said he would return to work from isolation at the White House residence alongside his dog, Commander
O’Connor warned of the possibility of a test rebound, which could occur in a small percentage of patients who, like Biden, have used the antiviral drug PAXLOVID as part of their treatment for COVID.
At least one prominent doctor, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, has warned that up to 40 percent of those on treatment with PAXLOVID will test positive for the virus again within 30 days.
dr Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University Hospital, tweeted after testing positive, “I think that was predictable.”
“The previous data suggesting Paxlovid ‘rebound’ positivity in the low single digits is outdated and likely 20-40% or even higher with BA.5,” he added.
Some experts have said that the current treatment cycle of taking three pills twice a day for five days is too short to clear the coronavirus from the patient’s body.