President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid again Saturday morning in a “rebound” case after testing negative several days in a row, his doctor said in a letter.
“After testing negative on Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning, the President tested positive on Saturday morning, using antigen tests. This represents, in effect, a ‘rebound’ positivity.” , wrote White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
Biden, 79, has not experienced a recurrence of symptoms and continues to feel well, O’Connor said. “In this case, there is no reason to restart treatment at this time, but obviously we will continue to watch closely.”
However, he will return to strict isolation procedures, the doctor added.
A White House official said they are in the process of contact tracing to determine close contacts.
Vice President Kamala Harris is not considered a close contact and tested negative for Covid-19 on Friday, according to her press secretary, Kirsten Allen.
Biden, who is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, tested positive for Covid on July 21 during a routine test and was treated with the antiviral Paxlovid.
A small minority of people who take Paxlovid see a rebound effect. About 1% to 2% of people taking Paxlovid The Pfizer clinical trial tested positive for coronavirus after testing negative. Rebound rates are about 5 percent among the tens of thousands of people who have taken the drug in real-life settings, White House Covid Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said in a recent press conference
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of possible recurrences in May and said people who test positive again may still be contagious and should restart isolation for at least five days.
“Folks, I tested positive for COVID again today. This happens to a small minority of people,” the president tweeted on Saturday. “I have no symptoms, but I will be isolating myself for the safety of everyone around me. I am still at work and will be back on the road soon.”
He left solitary confinement on Wednesday after five days. By then, O’Connor said her symptoms had almost completely resolved.
Biden spoke Thursday in the state dining room and participated in a panel discussion with officials and some CEOs. He did not wear a mask in either act.
A White House official said Saturday that Biden would wear a mask around others until the 10th, in accordance with CDC guidelines.
“When he was on a podium or in a similar circumstance we made sure there was enough distance between him and others to allow him to safely remove his mask,” the official said. “I was at a safe distance from others at those events.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, who had Covid in June, also said he went through Paxlovid rebound.
Molly Roecker and Monica Alba contributed.
