Biden, 79, who emerged from coronavirus isolation on Wednesday after testing positive on July 21, said he was feeling fine. He will now return to strict isolation and cancel planned trips home to Wilmington and a work trip to Michigan, the White House said. Biden held public events on Wednesday and Thursday, but none on Friday. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The forced isolation comes as the White House hoped to celebrate some recent legislative victories to bolster Biden’s slumping poll ratings. Biden had planned the trip to Michigan to tout Thursday’s passage of legislation to boost the U.S. semiconductor chip industry. Biden’s positive test is believed to be a “recovery” experienced by some COVID-19 patients taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid, according to White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. Paxlovid is an antiviral drug from Pfizer Inc ( PFE.N ) used to treat high-risk patients, such as elderly patients. A small but significant percentage of people taking Paxlovid will experience a relapse or relapse that occurs days after the five-day course ends, studies have shown. U.S. President Joe Biden walks after his remarks on the Inflation Relief Act of 2022 at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz read more White House officials had previously suggested that a rebound in the COVID case was unlikely, based on case reports across the country. However, Biden continued to be tested and monitored. Biden tweeted about his positive case, saying it can happen to a “small minority of people.” He later posted a video on Twitter where he said he was “feeling good” and “everything is fine.” A White House official said contact tracing efforts were underway Saturday after Biden tested positive for COVID-19. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, also showed recovery from COVID-19. His symptoms worsened when he returned after treatment and his doctors prescribed another course of Paxlovid. O’Connor said Biden has been negative for the past four days and there is no plan to restart treatment given his lack of symptoms. Biden previously described his experience with COVID as mild, saying he was able to continue working while in isolation and attributed his relative ease with the disease to vaccines and other treatments. O’Connor previously said Biden would undergo regular tests to monitor a possible “rebound” case of COVID-19, which some patients who have been treated with Paxlovid, the drug the president received, may experience. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Pete Schroeder, David Shepardson and Jarrett Renshaw. Editing: Aurora Ellis, Alistair Bell and Diane Craft Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
