“When questioned, at this point he notes only some residual nasal congestion and minimal hoarseness,” wrote Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
That’s an improvement from the weekend, when O’Connor said Biden was suffering from a sore throat, body aches and a loose cough. Seen participating in a virtual meeting on Friday, Biden cleared his throat several times and had a pronounced hoarse voice.
O’Connor said Biden’s heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature were normal — as they have been throughout his illness, according to his doctor — and that his oxygen saturation was “excellent” on room air. He’s not short of breath, O’Connor said.
Biden tested positive for Covid last Thursday and has been nursing the illness from the White House residence. He canceled plans to travel to Florida this week, but will participate in virtual events on Monday.
At his residence, Biden spoke with advisers by phone and held video conferences. But his wife, who tested negative again for Covid on Monday, is away at their home in Delaware and staff at the building have been cut to limit exposure.
Biden, 79, is “particularly conscientious” about protecting residence staff, White House staff and Secret Service personnel from the virus, which has been determined to be the highly transmissible BA.5 variant, O’Connor wrote in his letter. BA.5 is now the predominant strain of the virus in the United States.
Another doctor, Covid response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha, was scheduled to brief reporters on Biden’s condition later Monday. Jha did not treat the president directly, but spoke to him during his illness.
O’Connor has not yet spoken directly to reporters about the president’s condition, and the White House has not provided details about Biden’s illness beyond O’Connor’s daily notes.
The White House tried to emphasize that Biden’s symptoms were mild because he was vaccinated and boosted and he began a course of the antiviral Paxlovid immediately after testing positive. O’Connor said in his letter that Biden completed his fourth full day of Paxlovid on Sunday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was believed to be a close contact of Biden last week, tested negative for Covid on Monday before traveling to Indiana for an event focused on abortion access.
This story has been updated with additional reporting and background.
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