First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms, the White House said.
She tested positive while vacationing at Kiawah Island in South Carolina with her family, including President Joe Biden, according to CNN.
“After testing negative for COVID-19 on Monday during her regular testing cadence, the First Lady began to develop cold-like symptoms late in the evening. She tested negative again on a rapid antigen test, but a PCR test came back positive,” Elizabeth Alexander, her communications director, said in a statement.
Jill Biden, 71, is taking Paxlovid and will be in isolation for at least the next 5 days, according to the statement.
“The First Lady is double-vaccinated, twice boosted, and only experiencing mild symptoms,” Alexander said. “Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified. She is currently staying at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after she receives two consecutive negative COVID tests.”
A person close to Biden told CNN on Tuesday morning that she is “feeling good” and that she has “common cold” symptoms.
President Biden is scheduled to return to Washington, DC, on Tuesday to sign the Inflation Reduction Act, according to CBS News. It’s unclear how the first lady’s positive test will affect the president’s scheduled trip to Delaware this week.
Joe Biden recently recovered from COVID-19 and continues to test negative, the White House said.
“The President tested negative for COVID this morning on an antigen test,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said in a Twitter post.
“Consistent with the CDC guidance because he is a close contact of the First Lady, he will mask for 10 days when indoors and in close proximity to others,” she wrote. “We will also increase the President’s testing cadence and report those results.”
Joe Biden first tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21. He isolated at the White House while taking a course of Paxlovid and tested negative on July 27. Three days later, he tested positive again and had a rebound case. He isolated again until Aug. 7, leaving isolation after testing negative for 2 days in a row.
Source: Read Full Article