“President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and is experiencing very mild symptoms. He started taking Paxlovid. In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will self-isolate at the White House and continue to perform all of his duties during this time,” she said.
This is the first time the 79-year-old Biden has tested positive for Covid-19. His latest test was negative on Tuesday, according to Jean-Pierre. Paxlovid is an antiviral medicine made by Pfizer and is available through emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in people 12 years of age and older who are at high risk of severe disease. Requires a doctor’s prescription.
Biden received his first two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine before his inauguration in January 2021, his first booster in September and his second booster on March 30.
Due to his age, Biden is at increased risk of a more severe case of Covid-19, although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that older adults who are fully vaccinated and boosted greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.
Biden was originally scheduled to travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Thursday for a speech on crime prevention, followed by a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Philadelphia. He was also scheduled to travel to Orlando and Tampa, Fla., on Monday. But Jean-Pierre said Biden will self-isolate at the White House “in accordance with CDC guidelines.”
Biden has stepped up his public engagement over the past year as the White House has changed its approach to the pandemic. On Wednesday, Biden traveled to Somerset, Massachusetts, for an event on executive climate action, where he was seen shaking hands and greeting attendees among the outdoor crowd.
The president’s positive diagnosis comes less than a week after a trip to the Middle East where he held meetings with world leaders in Israel and Saudi Arabia. While abroad, Biden has been seen shaking hands, bumping fists and hugging other leaders.
The White House is currently working on contact tracing for those who may have had close contact with Biden, according to an official, following his positive Covid test. They plan to brief all close contacts on Thursday, including members of Congress and the press.
Covid continues to affect the Biden administration
A wave of cases among cabinet members, White House officials and members of Congress has swept Washington in recent months.
Vice President Kamala Harris contracted the virus earlier this year. Harris is also fully vaccinated and double-boosted and has had no symptoms, according to her spokeswoman Kirsten Allen. The vice president took the antiviral treatment for coronavirus Paxlovid in consultation with her doctors, according to Allen, and tested negative on May 2 when leaving isolation.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice were among the most senior Biden administration officials to test positive for Covid-19 after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington in April. The President also attended the dinner and delivered remarks. All approximately 2,600 guests had to be fully vaccinated and show proof of a negative test on the day of the event.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Attorney General Merrick Garland, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki and several others have tested positive in recent months.
White House officials had acknowledged that it was possible the president could contract Covid-19 at some point, but stressed the precautions being taken to prevent infection.
“The most important thing is that he is vaccinated and strengthened. It is very well protected. It has very good protocols around it to keep it from getting infected. But there is 100% nothing,” Dr. Ashish, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jha said.
The Covid emergency continues
The president’s infection comes as the US has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases and more than 1 million people have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The Biden administration is continuing the Covid-19 public health emergency as it seeks new funding from Congress for treatment and vaccines. The public health emergency declaration allows many Americans to receive free Covid-19 testing, therapeutic treatment and vaccines. Medicare has also relaxed the rules governing telehealth so that many more seniors can access such services during the declaration. And states don’t involuntarily exclude residents from Medicaid at the time of the declaration, in exchange for receiving more generous federal funds.
More than two years after the start of the pandemic, Biden became the second sitting US president to test positive for Covid-19. Then-President Donald Trump announced on October 2, 2020, that he and then-First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for Covid-19, months before any vaccines were authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Later that day, Trump was transferred to Walter Reed, where he spent the weekend and received various treatments. Trump returned to the White House on October 5, 2020.
Biden underwent his annual medical in November at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a note that the president “remains fit for duty and is fully fulfilling all of his responsibilities without any exceptions or accommodations.”
This story is current and will be updated.
CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this report.
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