US President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again on Saturday morning without showing symptoms, and will return to isolation to “protect” those around him, his personal doctor announced in a letter released by the White House.
The 79-year-old president “tested positive late Saturday morning in an antigen test” and “will be resuming strict containment measures,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote, noting that cases of “Rebound” of positivity are common among people treated with Paxlovid, Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill.
“Rebound Positivity”
As Mr. Biden had tested negative on Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning, “this is definitely rebound positivity”, according to Mr. Biden’s doctor.
“The president has not experienced a re-emergence of symptoms and continues to feel completely well,” he added. “There is therefore no reason to resume treatment at this stage”, but Mr. Biden, the oldest president ever elected in the United States, will remain under observation, he continued.
Mr Biden had tested positive on July 21 with “very mild symptoms” and was released from confinement on Wednesday, after testing negative.
Paxlovid is recommended for people at risk
The president, fully vaccinated and who has received two booster doses, is keen to “protect all those (…) who have to work near him”, whether they are White House staff, his bodyguards or of those around him, concluded Dr. O’Connor.
Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment that works by reducing the ability of the virus to replicate, thus slowing the progression of the disease. It must be taken within the first few days after the onset of symptoms to be effective. It is recommended in the United States for people at risk of developing a severe case of the disease, a category in which the American president falls due to his age.