Biden tests positive for coronavirus again.
US President Joe Biden tested positive for the coronavirus again on Saturday, just over three days after being released from isolation, the White House said, in a rare case of a “relapse” after treatment with an anti-viral drug.
White House physician Kevin O’Conner said in a letter that Biden “has not experienced a recurrence of symptoms and continues to feel quite well.”
In accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Biden will return to isolation for at least five days.
The agency says that in most cases of resurgence of the virus, the condition remains mild and that severe illness during that period has not been reported.
News of Biden’s positive test came just two hours after the White House announced a presidential visit to Michigan this Tuesday to highlight the passage of a bill to promote domestic high-tech manufacturing.
Biden had also planned to visit his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday morning, where first lady Jill Biden has been staying while the president tested positive. Both trips have been canceled as Biden has returned to self-isolation.
President Biden, 79, was treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid and tested negative on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He was then released from isolation but had to wear a mask inside. His positive tests put him among the minority of those prescribed the drug who may experience a relapse of the virus.