In COVID ‘Rebound,’ Biden Tests Positive for Second Day in a Row

MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) — President Joe Biden is back in isolation and has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second day in a row, as he experiences what is known as rebound after taking Paxlovid to treat his original infection.

Biden, who had tested negative and left isolation three days prior, returned to the safety measure on Saturday after testing positive. He tested positive again on Sunday. Despite the test results, the president “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms and continues to feel quite well,” White House physician Kevin O’Connor, M.D., said in a letter released on Sunday describing Biden’s condition. “There is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time.”

The president had previously isolated for five days and will do so again at the White House for at least five days and a negative test, in accordance with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most rebound cases are mild, according to the CDC.

Estimates vary of how common rebound cases are after taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid. Data “suggests that between 5 and 8 percent of people have rebound,” Ashish Jha, M.D., the White House COVID-19 coordinator, said last week, the Associated Press reported.

Patients with rebound COVID should isolate for at least five days, stopping once fever has resolved for 24 hours without medication and symptoms have improved, the CDC advises. Patients should wear a mask for 10 days after rebound symptoms begin. Some people will test positive after that but are less likely to shed virus.

Associated Press Article