The US President is experiencing “a bit of a return of a loose cough,” his doctor said
FILE PHOTO © AP / Susan Walsh
US President Joe Biden continues to battle a so-called rebound Covid-19 infection and will remain in strict isolation under daily monitoring, his physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a letter on Tuesday.
“The President continues to feel well, though he is experiencing a bit of a return of a loose cough. He remains fever-free and in good spirits. His temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal. His lungs are clear,” O’Connor said in his update on the president’s condition.
Under the White House protocols, Biden, 79, will stay in isolation until at least Thursday.
The US leader first tested positive for Covid-19 on July 21, despite having been fully vaccinated and receiving two booster shots. He worked in isolation for five days, while experiencing a mild cough and body aches, before testing negative last Tuesday.
However, on Saturday morning, Biden tested positive once again, with O’Connor noting that “a small percentage of” patients treating Covid-19 with Pfizer’s antiviral pill Paxlovid are likely to suffer so-called “rebound Covid positivity” – where they seem to recover from the disease before falling ill again.
White House coronavirus czar Dr. Anthony Fauci also suffered such a reinfection when he treated his case of Covid-19 with Paxlovid in May. Following his negative test, Biden described Paxlovid as a “game-changer” in the fight against Covid-19, and urged Americans to obtain the pills from drugstores around the country.
