President Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID-19 and left isolation after five days, using his relatively smooth recovery to make the case for more Americans to stay up to date on their vaccinations and take the antiviral Plaxlovid if they get infected.<\/p>\n
Biden received a negative COVID-19 test on Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday morning and his symptoms have almost completely resolved, White House doctor Kevin O\u2019Connor said in a letter. As a precaution, Biden will wear a mask for 10 days when around others, O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n
In remarks delivered in the Rose Garden before heading into the West Wing for the first time in five days, Biden said that with the availability of tests, vaccines and treatments, Americans can weather a COVID-19 infection without fear.<\/p>\n
Many of us are still going to get COVID-19, even if we take the precautions. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re doing anything wrong,\u201d Biden said. \u201cUnfortunately, this COVID-19 is still with us as it has been for two and a half years, but our fight against COVID-19 is making a huge difference. What\u2019s different now is our ability to protect ourselves from serious illness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21 during a routine test and was experiencing a runny nose, cough and a sore throat. He began taking the antiviral Paxlovid, a five-day course of treatment, and his doctor has said Biden\u2019s symptoms steadily improvedover that period. Biden is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my predecessor got COVID-19, he had to get a helicopter to Walter Reed Medical Center. He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered,\u201d Biden said of former President Donald Trump who was infected before the availability of vaccines and antiviral treatments. \u201cI got COVID-19, I worked from the upstairs of the White House in the offices upstairs for a five-day period.\u201d<\/p>\n
” The difference is vaccinations of course, but also three new tools free to all and widely available. You don\u2019t need to be president to get these tools used for your defense. In fact, the same booster shots the same at-home test, the same treatment that I got are available to you,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n
Because a small percentage of people taking Paxlovid have a rebound of their infection once they stop taking the treatment, Biden will continue to be regularly tested for COVID-19, O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n
The White House has sought to use Biden\u2019s relatively mild illness and quick recovery to encourage Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, which data shows reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. They have also encouraged people to follow Biden\u2019s lead and start taking Paxlovid as soon as they test positive.<\/p>\n
The White House said it is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say people infected can leave isolation after five days if their symptoms are improving and they are fever-free for 24 hours. The CDC guidelines don\u2019t recommend a negative COVID-19 test, which the White House said is an added precaution it is taking.<\/p>\n
If people leave isolation after five days, the CDC said, they should wear a well-fitting mask, refrain from traveling, and avoid people at risk for severe illness for an additional five days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID-19 and left isolation after five days, using his relatively smooth recovery to make the case for more Americans to stay up to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n