After testing negative for the coronavirus twice, President Biden said on Wednesday that he has recovered from his COVID-19 infection and that his five days of seclusion at the White House are finished.
The president made his first public appearance since receiving his diagnosis, praising the effectiveness of medicines and immunizations while contrasting his comparatively minor case of the virus with that of former President Donald Trump, who had a more serious case nearly two years prior.
Following a positive COVID-19 test last week, Mr. Biden started taking Paxlovid, an antiviral medication. In a letter made public by the White House, O’Connor claimed that the president had finished his five-day treatment regiment 36 hours earlier and had spent five full days in seclusion. Both Tuesday night and Wednesday morning’s tests came back negative for him.
Mr. Biden said he was “feeling fantastic” and could do his duties as president “without interruption” from the White House residence while speaking from the Rose Garden.
“I’ve just tested negative for COVID-19 after isolating for five days,” the president said to cheers from his staff. “Thankfully, I’ll now be able to turn to work in person, but I want to thank you all for your well wishes, your prayers over this past week, and the calls I’ve gotten. I also want to thank the medical team here at the White House for the incredible care they gave me.”
The president used the occasion to urge all eligible Americans to be vaccinated, to have their immunity strengthened, and to be aware of the antiviral medications they may obtain in the event that they are diagnosed with COVID-19. He spoke of the more terrifying COVID-19 experience his predecessor had before vaccinations were available. In October 2020, Trump underwent surgery at Walter Reed Medical Center.
“When my predecessor got COVID, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center,” Mr. Biden said. “He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got COVID, I worked from upstairs of the White House in the offices upstairs for the five-day period. The difference is vaccinations, of course, but also three new tools, free to all and widely available. You don’t need to president to get these tools to use for your defense. In fact, the same booster shots, the same at-home tests, the same treatment that I got is available to you.”
Mr. Biden claimed he was able to overcome his COVID infection “fearlessly.”
“A very mild discomfort, because of these essential, life-saving tools,” he said. “And guess what, I want to remind everybody, they are free, they are convenient, and they are safe, and they work.”
The White House physician said that Mr. Biden has stopped taking Tylenol and his fever has not returned. The president will continue to cover his face for a full 10 days while he is with other people even if his isolation in the White House residence is coming to an end.
The president may or may not adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation to delay travel for 10 days following a positive test.
According to the health agency’s recommendations, anyone who tested positive should “not travel until at least 10 days following the onset of your symptoms, or the day your positive test was obtained if you had no symptoms.” When he tested positive last week, the president had to cancel his vacation arrangements.
According to a source familiar with the call, the president will phone China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
This report’s sources included Kristin Brown.