The 79-year-old president’s antigen test “unsurprisingly remains positive this morning,” writes Dr. Kevin O’Connor
US President Joe Biden remains positive for Covid-19 today, but continues to “feel good”, his personal doctor announced in a letter released by the White House.
The antigen test of the president, who is 79, “unsurprisingly remains positive this morning,” writes Dr. Kevin O’Connor, for whom a re-positivity for SARS-CoV-2 can be seen in those who have been administered treatment with Paxlovid, Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill.
“The president continues to feel well,” he added. He continues to observe strict isolation measures.
Biden, the oldest US president ever elected, was diagnosed with Covid-19 on July 21 and had very mild symptoms. He was released from isolation on Wednesday after testing negative.
But the antigen test came back positive on Saturday, a development that sent him back into isolation at the White House. A repeat treatment was not judged to be helpful, according to his doctor
The president, fully vaccinated and having received two booster doses, “continues to handle the affairs of the American people from the White House,” noted Dr. O’Connor.
President Biden has had to cancel trips and events planned to celebrate recent legislative victories and help shore up his declining popularity in the polls.
Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment that works by reducing the ability of the virus to multiply, thus slowing the progression of the disease. It must be taken within the first few days after symptoms appear to be effective. It is recommended in the United States for people at risk of developing a severe form of the disease, a category into which the American president falls due to his age.
A small but significant percentage of people taking Paxlovid will have a relapse or see their levels of the virus rebound, which happens days after the five-day treatment ends, studies have shown.
RES-EMP
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