Just a few days after the end of his corona isolation, US President Joe Biden had to isolate himself again because of a positive corona test. An antigen test was positive on Saturday morning (local time), as his doctor Kevin O’Connor said in a letter published by the White House.
According to the information, Biden had previously tested negative for several days. The 79-year-old will resume his strict domestic isolation, the White House said.
The US President appeared calm on Saturday. He wrote on Twitter: “Guys today I tested positive for Covid again. That happens to a small minority of people. I have no symptoms but I will isolate myself for the safety of everyone around me.”
Biden also posted a video showing him with his dog, Commander, on a White House balcony. He will work from home for the next few days, he feels good; he and Commander have a bit of work to do, Biden joked.
According to his doctor O’Connor, the US President currently has no symptoms. Biden continues to feel pretty good, the letter said. The doctor explained that such a “relapse” had already been observed in rare cases in patients treated with the Covid drug Paxlovid.
Developments are being monitored closely, but the drug is currently not being administered again.
The White House announced that two scheduled trips to Wilmington and the US state of Michigan had been canceled. In Wilmington, Delaware, Biden often spends weekends with his wife, Jill Biden. In Michigan on Tuesday, Biden wanted to give a speech on a law to promote domestic high-tech production.
Biden ended his isolation on Wednesday. His infection with the corona virus had become known the previous Thursday – after he had come through the pandemic unscathed for more than two years.
According to the White House, Biden then spent five days in isolation and was treated with Paxlovid during that time. Biden kept his appointments by video and telephone.
O’Connor described the course as mild. Speaking in the White House garden on Wednesday, Biden said, “My symptoms were mild. I recovered quickly and I’m fine.”
When he returned to the Oval Office, it was said that Biden would continue to be “extremely diligent” in protecting those around him.