Biden tests negative for COVID-19 five days after diagnosis

On Wednesday morning, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor sent a letter announcing that Biden completed his Paxlovid course on Monday night and that antigen tests given Tuesday evening and early Wednesday both came back negative. Biden has stopped taking Tylenol, and his symptoms “are almost completely resolved,” giving him the green light to discontinue isolation.

Along with the negative test announcement, the White House told reporters that Biden would make a speech at 11:30 a.m. in the Rose Garden. The subject of the talk wasn’t mentioned.

Biden felt “well enough” on Tuesday “to resume his physical exercise regime,” according to O’Connor. Biden’s pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature were “absolutely normal,” in addition to his lungs being “clear,” O’Connor wrote in his Tuesday note to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared with reporters.

Jean-Pierre could not provide details on Tuesday regarding what physical activities Biden undertook during his workouts, nor what he and his health team were doing to mitigate the risk of so-called “long COVID” or how they were monitoring a potential “rebound.”

“He’s excited to see all of us and be in person and be out there with the American public again,” she said.

O’Connor has not appeared before the press to take questions throughout Biden’s time in isolation, breaking with a long-standing precedent of White House physicians appearing in the briefing room. Several reporters have complained about the change, with one charging that to “shield [O’Connor] from questions would be the least transparency of any White House in 50 years on a presidential illness.” However, officials have not relented.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person can leave isolation five days after contracting COVID-19 if their symptoms “are resolving.” But the independent federal agency recommends wearing a mask for another five days to minimize the possibility of transmission. Biden will wear a mask when around others for the next 10 days, according to O’Connor’s latest letter.

The president will also be tested more often in case of “rebound” positivity that sometimes happens to patients given Paxlovid, though the letter does not say exactly how often that will be.

Haisten Willis contributed to this report.

Article Appeared @https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/biden-covid-isolation

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