President Biden tests positive for COVID-19 again in ‘rebound’ case

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden examined optimistic for COVID-19 once more Saturday, barely greater than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White Home mentioned, in a uncommon case of “rebound” following remedy with an anti-viral drug.

White Home doctor Dr. Kevin O’Connor mentioned in a letter that Biden “has skilled no reemergence of signs, and continues to really feel fairly nicely.”

In accordance with Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention pointers, Biden will reenter isolation for least 5 days. The company says most rebound instances stay gentle and that extreme illness throughout that interval has not been reported.

Phrase of Biden’s optimistic take a look at got here simply two hours after the White Home introduced a presidential go to to Michigan this coming Tuesday to focus on the passage of a invoice to advertise home high-tech manufacturing. Biden had additionally been scheduled to go to his house in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday morning, the place first girl Jill Biden has been staying whereas the president was optimistic. Each journeys have been canceled as Biden has returned to isolation.

Biden, 79, was handled with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid, and examined damaging for the virus on Tuesday and Wednesday. He was then cleared to depart isolation whereas carrying a masks indoors. His optimistic checks places him among the many minority of these prescribed the drug to expertise a rebound case of the virus.

Whereas Biden was testing damaging, he returned to holding in-person indoor occasions and conferences with workers on the White Home and was carrying a masks, in accordance with CDC pointers. However the president eliminated his masks indoors when delivering remarks on Thursday and through a gathering with CEOs on the White Home complicated.

Requested why Biden gave the impression to be breaching CDC protocols, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned, “They had been socially distanced. They had been far sufficient aside. So we made it secure for them to be collectively, to be on that stage.”

Regulators are nonetheless learning the prevalence and virulence of rebound instances, however the CDC in Could warned medical doctors that it has been reported to happen inside two days to eight days after initially testing damaging for the virus.

“Restricted info presently out there from case studies means that individuals handled with Paxlovid who expertise COVID-19 rebound have had gentle sickness; there are not any studies of extreme illness,” the company mentioned on the time.

When Biden was initially launched from isolation on Wednesday, O’Connor mentioned the president would “enhance his testing cadence” to catch any potential rebound of the virus.

White Home COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha instructed reporters on Monday that “the medical information means that between 5 and eight p.c of individuals have rebound” after Paxlovid remedy.

Paxlovid has been confirmed to considerably scale back extreme illness and demise amongst these most weak to COVID-19. U.S. well being officers have inspired those that take a look at optimistic to seek the advice of their medical doctors or pharmacists to see if they need to be prescribed the remedy, regardless of the rebound threat.

Biden is absolutely vaccinated, after getting two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine shortly earlier than taking workplace, a primary booster shot in September and a further dose March 30.

Whereas sufferers who’ve recovered from earlier variants of COVID-19 have tended to have excessive ranges of immunity to future reinfection for 90 days, Jha mentioned that the BA.5 subvariant that contaminated Biden has confirmed to be extra “immune-evasive.”

“Now we have seen numerous folks get reinfected inside 90 days,” he mentioned, including that officers do not but have information on how lengthy those that have recovered from the BA.5 pressure have safety from reinfection.

The video above is from an earlier story.